


The Selected

by cheddarpenguin



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Selection Fusion, Dragons, F/M, Hiccstrid - Freeform, astrid hates eret, badasstrid, but eret loves astrid, jerk eret, other disney characters - Freeform, princecup!, royal au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-14 02:24:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 40,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9153367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheddarpenguin/pseuds/cheddarpenguin
Summary: The Selection AU, based off the novel by Kiera CassAs a Seven in the caste system, Astrid Hofferson is very poor and has to work long days just to put food on the table. Hiccup Haddock is a prince living in his older brother's shadow, forgotten by most.Everything changes when Astrid is thrown into the Selection, a competition against 34 other girls to win the heir's, Prince Eret's, heart. She meets Hiccup, the lonely prince, and they develop an odd friendship based on their hatred for Eret. Royal amounts of trouble arise when scandals in the castle are revealed and rebellions start to spark, and Astrid is thrown right in the middle of it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own How to Train Your Dragon or The Selection. I own the plot and a few minor OC's.  
> This will not have the Selection's plot, but only use the universe for the story.
> 
> Originally posted on Fanfiction.net, under the same username! 
> 
> I hope you find this to be interesting. There are lots of twists and turns throughout it. 
> 
> This is told entirely from Astrid's point of view!

The thick, cream-colored paper felt heavy in my hands. The pressure of my family looking at me felt like big weights resting on my shoulders. I tried not to notice their eyes boring into my every pore as I scanned the words printed in the expensive ink. My eyes were dizzy from trying to read so much at once, I had to grip the table for support.

It was so hard to focus when there were so many words. I tried to fix my gaze on one line, but I couldn't. I held my finger to the line, trying to grasp any information on the parchment. One part caught my eye, and I read aloud. "'The families of the Selected participants will receive a generous amount of money for every week their candidate remains in the running of the competition.' A generous amount of money, huh?" That seemed to be the only appealing part of this application.

My mother and father shared a glance, and then both looked back to me. Being Sevens and having four kids to feed and clothe meant life was hard a generous sum was definitely tempting and something to hope for.

"This is your decision, Astrid," Dad told me softly. "We're not forcing you into anything. But if there's a chance, even as slim as a this, that you can have a better life, I believe you should take it." His gaze told me he was telling the truth. I knew he wanted me to do it.

"I'm fine with my life," I said sharply. It wasn't a complete lie, I did enjoy working and getting my hands dirty with my tools. I liked to fix things, which I was starting to do for a living. Fixing cars for the upper castes, fixing pipes and appliances. It was hard work for little money, which was the not-so-great part about this life.

Being a family of Sevens, we were pretty much the lowest caste without being homeless. We made next to no money, lived in a cruddy shack, never had enough food, and practically wore rags for clothing. It was miserable, but that didn't mean I wanted a life full of billowing dresses, marble floors, and glass slippers. I liked work, so the Selection wasn't very appealing to me. I didn't want to compete with thirty-four other girls for the affections of a guy I didn't know, or like so far.

"This is no life!" Dad said angrily. "We're on the brink of starvation! We're struggling to pay our bills, and now we have to raise more children!"

Originally, I had one brother, two years younger, named Gustav. We didn't look much alike, aside our eyes were both blue. But about four months ago, my mother saw a set of twins in a soaked-through cardboard box in an alleyway, most likely left by an Eight. They are now being raised by us, as my brothers. But they're demanding infants, and hard to keep happy.

"Astrid, at least apply. The chances of you being picked are next to zero, but we need some hope in this household," Mom urged. The pleading in her expression was obvious. I hated it when she guilted me into things, and it made me want to apply even less, if that was even possible.

I looked at them both for a long time. I didn't want to go to the king's palace, I didn't want to meet Prince Eret, I didn't want to be a princess. But if it helped my family, I didn't care. I would do anything for them.

I wrote my name. I wrote my age. I wrote my caste. I wrote my profession. I listed my education. I wrote my special talents, which didn't include much. I knew how to fix things, and I used to play the flute for fun. I liked to write, short stories were my forte. I could also speak basic Latin, in which I learned from an old, torn up book I found in a dumpster.

I filled it out quickly before I had the chance to change my mind. If I had to go through the torture in the palace for my family to actually have enough food, it would be more than worth it.

"They take pictures tomorrow, I'd say that's when you take your lunch break," Mom suggested. I just nodded. I went into my brothers' and my room, and I curled up under the covers. There was no turning back now.

***

My day at work was the same as any other day. I fixed a car. I tweaked someone's sink, and tinkered with some pipes. I fixed a stove right after that in a Four's house, and when I saw their daughter dressing up and fixing her hair, most likely for her picture, they looked at me sympathetically in my oil and dirt-covered face and torn tunic. They tipped me a little, in which I thanked them repeatedly for.

At my lunch break, I rushed home and put on my least-torn brown tunic. I tried to scrub the dirt and grime off my face, but some of it wouldn't budge. I had to go to work immediately afterward, so I had to keep my toolbelt with me. I still very much looked like a mess, but I didn't look as messy as usual.

My mom came home from work, her face also dirty and sweaty from gardening all day. She was, obviously, a gardener, Dad and I were repairmen (well, I was a repairwoman) and Gustav was a farm hand. We all had low-paying jobs that Sevens have. I liked to fix things, but I admitted, I would rather be a policeman or a doctor. Or, like my lifelong dream, to be able to join the army.

Mom and I walked to the city hall, in our town in the province Dakota. Girls were lined up outside, wearing fine jewelry and their nicest clothes. Nicest clothes for Twos included dazzling dresses and shining rhinestones, while Fives had simple sweaters and Sixes and Sevens were either in a plain tunic or their work clothes.

I redid my blond braid, trying to make it look somewhat nicer than it did, and brushed my bangs and tucked them behind my ear. I wanted to shrivel up and hide with some of the looks that people were giving us. A girl, obviously a Two, was in a short, blue dress covered completely in sparkles gave me a mean face. Her face had so much makeup on, her face color was three shades darker than her neck color. I just narrowed my eyes at her. I wouldn't let her get into my head. I wasn't worth any less than her, just because of my caste. 

When we got closer to the doors, and there were lots of people behind us, I heard a child's shriek. I whipped around, trying to see the source of the screaming. A girl in a sundress and dark hair was trying to calm a smaller child, probably around three years old. The little girl was crying over a doll whose arm fell off onto the ground. The child picked the arm up and tried to attack it, but to no avail.

Neither the little girl's sister or mother could calm her. The child was yelling and crying and screaming, causing some people to plug their ears in annoyance. Nobody was helping the girl, and I felt bad. I felt the screwdriver on my toolbelt, and I thought; what if I could fix the doll?

I left Mom to our place in line, and I skirted toward the little girl. She was still sobbing and the plastic arm of the doll was on the ground. I kneeled down next to her, so I could talk to her eye-to-eye. I picked up the arm and tried to calm her.

"Shhh... shhh.. hey, hey!" I coaxed. "Hi!" The girl stopped wailing, but the tears still riveted down her cheeks as she wiped her eyes and looked at me. I kept talking. "Hi, I'm Astrid. What's your name?" I wasn't very good with kids, but if I could help this one out, it would make my day infinitely better.

The little girl sniffed. "Ruby," she said. She had big, brown eyes and dark skin. I thought she was one of the most adorable little girls ever, looking at me with her sad gaze.

"Hi Ruby, see my tool belt here?" I asked in a tone I reserved for children only. Ruby nodded. "I might be able to fix your doll with my screwdriver here." I hoped. I didn't know what to connect and to where I would connect it, but I had to try. I prayed that there was a way I could fix it, I didn't want to lead the girl on and not be able to actually fix it.

I picked up the arm, and the small silver screw that I almost didn't notice next to it. I showed Ruby the screwdriver and the arm. She gave me the doll, I put the arm back in place and screwed it into place. I wiggled the arm a little, moving the plastic around to see if it would fall out at all. When it didn't, I handed the doll back to her. A grin spread from ear-to-ear.

"Thank you! Thank you thank you!" Ruby cried, hugging her doll. I just smiled and put my screwdriver back. When I stood, I remembered her sister and mother.

They looked at me with awe, and also gratefulness. I nodded to them, but the girl in the dress tugged at my sleeve. "Wait!"

I turned, meeting her dark eyes that looked so much like Ruby's. I raised an eyebrow in question, wondering what she wanted.

"Thank you. When she has fits like that, hardly anything can calm her down," she told me. "Here, I can give this to you as payment." She started fumbling through the small bag at her side but I waved it off.

"No, no, I refuse to be payed," I said. "I just fixed a doll, it's no big deal, really."

The girl wouldn't listen and kept digging through her purse until she pulled out a small plastic bag. Delighted that she found it, she opened the bag and handed one of it's white, square contents to me.

"Clean your face," she ordered, handing me the wipe. I wasn't expecting this "payment". I cautiously took the wipe and looked at it, then started to clean my face with it. Brown dirt and oil made themselves prominent and visible on the white cloth, and within a minute my face and neck were clear of the grime.

"Thank you," I said, and to my surprise, she took the dirty wipe and put it in her bag. I wondered if she had any special things in that little purse that the wipe would have ruined from the filth.

"You're welcome," the girl said. She thrust out her hand in front of me with a greeting. "I'm Jade, Five."

I looked at her hand, and then back at mine. Though she was a lower caste, she wore a simple dress that must've been quite expensive. Her hands were clean, and mine were not. I didn't want to mess up her clean hands with the filth on mine.

But Jade insisted, and practically grabbed my hand from my side and shook it firmly.

"Astrid, Seven," I mumbled the last part, but I still earned a sympathetic look. I hated that look. I didn't need sympathy. I didn't want pity from anyone, because I was a fighter. I hated how people thought my low caste number defined my worth as a person. I hated it.

"Well, good luck!" Jade said. "Smile big." The girl was so optimistic, there seemed to be beams of light shining from her chocolate skin. I couldn't help but smile also.

"You as well," I responded. "Thanks for the wipe." And with that, I returned to my place next to my mother in line. My spirits were somewhat lifted from the incident, it was a nice feeling to fix a little girl's day.

This feeling kept with me into the building, and when I saw Ruby hugging and dancing with her plastic doll, it made another grin come onto my face. I don't recall ever making someone that happy, ever. So when the man taking the photos called me to take my picture, my smile was genuine and big. Ruby had made my day.

"I haven't seen that smile in years," Mom commented as we walked down the steps, back into the cool breeze. "It's nice."

***

My mother sang all week.

She hummed while she cooked a small pot of stew, she whistled while she planted, and she sang while she weeded gardens. Her eyes had the bright blue twinkle in them, the one that means she's happy, in which I hadn't seen in quite a few years.

She was hopeful. I was not. But I wanted her to keep that way. She was tipped more by her clients because of the optimism, and she bought us some juice. Gustav had to restrain himself to not chug the entire jug down.

Eventually, the day came. All too soon. It was the day that the Selected would be announced. I wasn't excited or nervous, like Mom. I wasn't cheerful and could wait to gather around our library's television. I didn't want her hope to be gone when I didn't get it. To me, there was just no chance of me being Selected. It was me in a pool of all the other girls in Dakota. My mother was too hopeful, and I was going to be sad when they didn't call my name.

My boss, the Three that runs the shop and employs us mechanics and repairmen, was usually a stone-cold man with little emotion on his face. He didn't like us Sixes and Sevens, he usually preferred not to interact with us. But he might have noticed my sadder expression, hence why he came over to me fixing a golf cart engine.

"Miss Hofferson?" he said while holding a clipboard. "Everything alright? I sure do hope that sour face is not affecting your work."

"No, sir," I said. "I just don't want to upset my family."

"I don't think you could ever do that, Miss Hofferson." He walked away with that, and I admit, it made me feel a little bit better. My anxiety still kept me from feeling happy about the upcoming night. In fact, I wanted to vomit from just thinking about it. I tried not to imagine tears in my mom's eyes or the creases of wrinkles in my father's face from disappointment. 

These images haunted me, even until we gathered around the public television.


	2. Chapter 2

What happened next was a blur of events I could hardly remember.

My family headed to the library the evening of Selection broadcast to watch it on the televisions there. We huddled around one screen, Mom clutching the twins and Gustav and Dad sandwiching me in between them.

The pair of announcers that broadcasted the royal news, nicknamed Bucket and Mulch, were on the set. They named off girls one by one, showing their picture and description, and the royal family's reaction. I couldn't bring myself to look at Prince Eret, I didn't want to. I didn't want to ever have to see his face.

Bucket and Mulch listed the girls by provinces in alphabetical order, so Dakota was close to the beginning. My mind was focused on feeling sad for being disappointed for my hopeful family, I almost didn't catch the announcement.

"And for Dakota!" Mulch cheered, his fat face colored red and looking jolly. It reminded me somewhat of Ruby, the little girl I met in line. That brought my thoughts to Jade, her sister. She was nice. I wanted her to win. I wanted Jade to have a wealthy, jewel-filled future. The one act of kindness she gave me had me thinking she was going to be a great queen.

"We have, oh my, an eighteen-year-old Seven, Astrid Hofferson!"

Wait.

My mind blanked. I barely registered the big smile that was, sure enough, mine, on national television, in front of the royal family and the entire country. I didn't see the royal family's reaction to me. I couldn't see at all.

I had been Selected.

My mother screamed, and the twins cried. My father gasped and shook me, and Gustav exploded, jumping over tables and knocking down chairs. The two librarians, old ladies with gray hair and thin glasses, looked over to see what was causing all of the ruckus. I guess they saw me, and my matching picture on the screen, because their eyes widened to the size of the moon.

My family crushed me in hugs. I was still wearing my tool belt, so my screwdriver and hammer were jabbing into my sides. Mom was sobbing, Dad was praying. Gustav was cheering, the twins were screeching. I wasn't happy; I didn't want this.

"It's her! She's the Selected!" the librarians gasped. People, mostly other Sixes and Sevens that were watching the other televisions, were confused until they saw me. People started crowding around me, cheering and crying and whooping and yelling.

Oh no.

The first ever Seven to be Selected. The poor mechanic girl with a messy blond braid and a greasy face. The girl in the tattered tunic and toolbelt. I was congratulated nonstop wherever I went. Lower castes were the happiest for me, whilst upper castes despised me. I knew they thought that their daughters deserved being picked. I found it was almost unsafe to walk to work, because I'd be attacked by a mob of either fans or haters. I stayed home.

Our shack was always occupied. Shiny, expensive looking cars pulled up and people in crisp suits would enter and ask me questions. I couldn't register what was happening most of the time. I often would pinch my arm, hoping to wake up from this nightmare. I wanted the twins to stop screaming at the strangers coming in. I wanted people to stop calling Mom, making her cry over and over. I wanted Gustav to shut up about his farm friends and how they said they always had crushes on me. I wanted it to stop.

A man, looking a bit more casual compared to some other people that would come in, came in with a purple folder with the Berk crest on it. Straight from the castle. Mom called me out of the bedroom to the main room, and ushered the boys in the house to the bedroom.

"Hello Mrs. and Miss Hofferson," greeted the main with dark, wavy hair that touched his shoulders. He wore circular glasses that made his dark eyes look less tiny, making his face have a strange look to it.. "I am Manord, and I will be delivering your last instructions to you.

"Miss Hofferson," he said, turning to me. "You have been Selected. You cannot back out of this, or let someone else take your place. Doing so would be a sign of rebellion, which is treason."

I shuddered. That was harsh. The government only had one punishment for treason- death. It scared me a little that I had been always thinking about finding Jade and giving my Selected spot to her. But I always remembered the money that would come with it, and I knew I had to do this for my family.

"As a Selected," Manord continued. "You have been promoted in your caste. You are now a Three."

I choked. A Three? All my life, I lived in poverty, hoping one day I might be able to make enough to have a sufficient amount of food on the table. I had prepared myself for a life of misery as a Seven. But a Three...

"Your family are still Sevens, only you are promoted," Manord said. "But you do get checks for each week you stay at the castle. I am also here to deliver your first payment." He opened the purple folder and pulled out a fancy-looking envelope. Again, right from the castle.

When Mom opened it, she about fainted. I peered over. It was at least six months' wages, all four of us combined. This, along with their constant work and me being at the castle, at least one week, would provide food for us for a long, long time. I wanted to cry, this was so much.

"You will wear this tomorrow, your choice of shoes." Manord handed me a black bag that obviously had clothes in it. He listed off some basic rules, like no assaulting other Selected, no leaving the castle, et cetera, but I couldn't hear. My eyes stared blankly at him and I nodded every once in awhile. It was so overwhelming.

Manord talked to Mom for a little bit, and she listened to him intently, having to wipe away her tears every so often. I stared into space, having to digest the fact that I won't see Mom every day. I wouldn't see Gustav, Dad, or the twins. I worried about missing their first steps.

I didn't want to miss my family, and I wanted to work to improve their lives for the better. I decided, after some weeks of collecting money for my family, I would do my best to get the prince to hate me so he would send me home as quickly as possible.

I packed my torn sneakers. I packed a photo of my family. I packed a notepad. Three items I was allowed to take in my bag.

I put on my work boots, the only pair of shoes I had except for my old running shoes, which looked quite disgusting compared to the nice black pants and white shirt we had to wear. I washed my face in a tub of warm water and I redid my thick braid.

I walked out of the bedroom to meet my awaiting family. I already cried my tears, I wouldn't shed any in front of them. I held them close, not saying any words. Mom had to break from the hug when one of the twins started crying. Gustav knew the drill; he started preparing a bottle in the kitchen area.

Dad wouldn't let me go. I knew. I was his little girl. The one who worked by his side forever. The one who made him proud. The one who was now a Three. He looked at me with a big smile.

"You look lovely. Now go woo that prince," he told me. I gave him a weak grin. I wasn't going to woo anyone, but I pledged to myself to make him proud.

A car picked me up with a driver that didn't speak. The drive lasted almost an hour, till I saw big planes soar through the sky. I watched them out the window in awe. In our town, planes didn't fly over very often, for we lived far from major cities.

The driver opened my door and handed me my bag. I took it and slung it over my shoulder. He led me over to another man in a black suit and sunglasses. The driver left me with this guard, and the guard escorted me through the airport.

People screamed when they saw me. Some held colorful signs. The guard had to push them away. They yelled my name, "Astrid!" they hollered. So many strangers from all castes knowing my name. Some flowers and candy were thrown my way. I gave my "fans" a smile, and I touched their outstretched hands. They took pictures and videos, something I had never imagined someone would be doing to me.

We boarded a plane, with plush seats and televisions on the back of the seats. I wasn't the only one on the plane, but there were few people. They all looked important in their posh clothing and gleaming briefcases. They shook my hand when I walked past. Even some of these important-looking people wanted my autograph.

The plane ride lasted around two to three hours, and I watched the world pass by below clouds out the window. It was a little nerve-wracking- I had never been on a plane before. I took a pack of crackers from the flight attendants, but nothing else. I didn't have much of an appetite, even though I had barely eaten that day.

I felt like I finally was able to think, and so I let my thoughts consume my conscious mind. The more I thought, the more I realized. I realized my life would never be the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I typically update every Wednesday, but I'll update every day until this one is caught up with the story that's published on other platforms.


	3. Chapter 3

was rushed through gates in a luxurious car after our flight landed. There were people yelling my name and holding signs in the airport, and I wanted to say hello, but the escorts kept pushing me. I only was able to make eye contact and brush their hands when they held them out.

I was shoved in a car with a redhead from Belcourt named Anna. Her blue-green eyes were filled with wonder and excitement, and her energy and peppiness reminded me of a squirrel. She chatted nonstop, nonsense words spilling out of her mouth. I found it amusing, rather than annoying.

I hardly had to marvel at the huge palace looming over the city in Angeles. It was beautiful, it looked like it was plucked right out of a fairy tale. The fantasy castle a few miles away from the modern skyscrapers and hustle of a normal city.

Through large gates and cobblestone paths we drove until we saw people crowded in a garden area, with dresses laying around and many mirrors lined up in a square around the hedges. They were all girls, some wearing fancy dresses, some wearing the white shirt and black pants, some wearing plain black dresses and white aprons.

As soon as the car door opened, ladies, whom I assumed were maids from previous instructions given to me, took my arms and brought me to the grounds. When I stepped onto the ground, even the grass and dirt felt expensive. The air was clean and fresh, with the songs of birds filling the air.

I didn't even have a chance to speak to the maids before I was whisked to a room where I was stripped bare and plopped in a tub of warm water and scrubbed thoroughly until every fleck of dirt had left my skin. I had never been that clean in my life, and I didn't know what to make of my unusually softer skin.

The maids looked at me with somewhat piteous looks, when they saw my torso and the ribs poking out of my skin. It's what hunger did to me, leaving me with barely anything on my upper half but skin and bones. I still didn't want their looks

They waxed my legs painfully. I could practically feel every hair ripping out from my limbs. They plucked my eyebrows, which emitted multiple hisses from me. They washed and trimmed my hair, to only rid of the split ends. I was slipped in a silky, cream-colored dress which was probably the same cost of my home. My feet were shoved into matching heels, which cramped my toes and rubbed my ankles uncomfortably. When they started powdering my face, I found my voice and requested for them to ease up on the makeup.

"I prefer to be more natural," I said. The truth was, I had never really worn makeup before, it being something I would have never thought about having in my life. I was nervous to see how my face would look with makeup.

The maids complied, and compared to the other girls, my face was naked. My lashes were coated with mascara and a nearly invisible shade of eyeshadow was on my lids, paired with a pale pink lip color, I still looked quite different than I usually did. I ended up staring in the mirror for a while, unsure what to make of myself. I never really thought of myself as pretty, but I did think I looked better than I usually did on that day.

I hobbled over back to the gardens and waited in line. My hair was in a braid, which I preferred most, but it had smaller, intricate weaves around the crown of my head. Everyone wore similar dresses, with simple form-fitting torsos and delicate skirts that kissed the ground with the fabric. When Anna approached, her dress was an aqua teal color that matched her eyes. The sleeveless dress made sure to reveal all the freckles on her shoulders and neck.

After we took pictures for the national news channel that was broadcasting the Selection, we were paraded into the castle, through huge white columns and shining staircases. We were escorted through a set of gigantic doors into a massive hallway with huge paintings and stained glass windows, depicting scenes of what I guessed to have happened many years ago. It was very bright, with many windows and walls that seemed to glow.

Girls were fluffing their skirts and twirling their hair, trying to make the best of their appearances. I felt very plain compared to them, but I was okay with that. I didn't want to cake my face with makeup or wear a seventy-pound dress. I was determined to stay myself.

A woman in a shining silver suit strutted in front of the string of the Selected. Her black heels clicked loudly on the glossy floor. Her hair was blond and cropped close to her ears, and she wore glasses with large, dark frames.

"Hello, ladies, I am Lydia. I will be your supervisor for your stay here in the royal castle." Her smile tried to look sweet but I knew it was fake, I could see right through it as if it were a pane of glass.

"Now, you will not be meeting the royals today," Lydia said. "You will settle into your rooms and meet your maids. Each of you as three maids and an identical room, though you may request specific decor.

"You will be meeting the royal family tomorrow, Prince Eret, King Stoick, and Queen Valka. In the presence of the royal family, the king and queen are to be addressed as 'Your Majesty'. The princes are to be addressed as 'Your Highness'. You will also curtsy when you approach and leave their company. This goes for everyone at all times."

Did she say princes? I thought. With an 's'? I didn't know the king and queen had multiple children. Then again, I didn't have a TV or read newspapers, so I wouldn't know.

I had a maid scurry me up two flights of stairs to the third floor, where the guest floor was. The sheer size of the hallways had me amazed, along with expensive and beautifully detailed statues that were next to pots and vases that were worth probably more than my life. The palace was so big, there were plenty of rooms for all the Selected, plus more guests if they happened to stop by.

The maid opened a door at the end of the hall, and I was awestruck. My ripped leather bag sat lamely at the foot of a king-sized bed with extravagant bedding under a window with matching posh curtains. There was a white desk against a wall, with a typewriter along with several pencils, pens, and sheets of paper. They knew I loved to write.

Three girls, no older than their twenties, rushed over as soon as I stepped in. They bent deep into a curtsy, beaming with their cleaning supplies in hand.

"Hello, Lady Astrid," greeted the first maid. "We are your maids. I am Jane, this is Tina Bell and Dory." Jane had a bright blue gaze and a funny accent. Tina Bell was short and had a big blond bun underneath her maid's cap. Dory was tall with dark hair and looked very hyper.

"Hi," I said. I didn't really know what to say to them. I had always been doing the work for everyone else for years, this was such a big change of pace.

"I think you're really, really, really inspiring!" piped Dory. "A Seven in a Selection! Never heard of!"

"Lowest I've seen is a Five," added Tina Bell shyly.

I made no comment toward this. What did they want me to say? I simply nodded, trying a tiny fake smile on my lips.

"Anyway," Jane said. "We're here to help you with anything you need. We clean your room, draw your bath, fetch you anything, sew your dresses, just call us and you get anything."

 

"Thank you, very much," I said gratefully. "But would you mind if I had a moment to myself?" Without a word, the maids curtsied to me and were out of the room in a quick flurry.

It was so overwhelming. Being dressed in pretty gowns, being called a "lady", being curtsied and bowed to, everything. The plush bed, the fancy room much bigger than my house. This felt like a dream. Not that it was positive, but the fact it wasn't real. I still felt like I'd wake up the next morning in a cramped, creaky bed next to my brother and have to lace on my muddy boots to go tweak some machinery.

But I wasn't. It almost made me sad, but when I remembered the check that they handed Mom, the fact I knew that there would be plenty of food on the table for the next year, made me happy. But I still needed to get out, I wanted nature, I needed to smell the trees instead of the choking scent of perfume always in the air with those girls. I wanted a scent I knew, a scent that would bring me close to home.

I found a different pair of black pants and a simple, flowy shirt to wear instead of my itchy cream dress. I washed the makeup off of my face and I slipped into the simplest shoes I could find; which were just plain flats. I did this all quickly, for I was starting to feel claustrophobic in the huge bedroom.

I pushed open my doors, looking down the halls. I jogged my way down the stairs and headed for the doors that led outside. I just needed to sit next to a tree. I needed to breath clean air, not air tainted by layers of scented candles and air fresheners and perfume.

I reached the doors, but two guards blocked me. I tried to plead my way through, but they wouldn't let me through. But I was desperate. I started to walk away, so they'd resume their positions on either side of the doorway. I turned and I bolted. I launched myself between them, knocking into the doors and creaking them open. I grasped a hold the end of the first step, but the guards tackled me and tried to pull me away. Grunts turned to yells and shouts. They yanked me away from the little patch of freedom. A guard held each arm, and I screamed and kicked them to get them off of me and let me go.

A young man, around my age, rushed in. He didn't look like a guard, or royalty, he wore only a simple black shirt and blue jeans. His eyes widened at the sight of the guards restraining me, and he ran over.

"What's this?" he demanded. "Set her down!"

The guards followed the teen's orders without hesitation. Who was this? Why did he have so much power?

My hair was tangled in my face, my cheeks red from the exerting struggle. I straightened my shirt and looked this kid in the eye.

"May I inquire as to why you were manhandling this lady so?" said the young man in his nasal voice. His eyes were narrowed, and he looked somewhat threatening. I wasn't scared, though. I could only hope that I looked more threatening.

"Your Highness, she was trying to escape into the garden," the guard to my left reported. Your Highness? My thoughts ran wild. This doesn't look like Prince Eret.

"If I may," I interjected. "I wasn't trying to escape." Three pairs of eyes were now on me. "I needed fresh air. All of this is really overwhelming."

 

"The Selected are not permitted to leave the castle without permission, and or accompaniment by the prince himself," the guard on my right said.

"Well, it doesn't specify which prince," said the teen. "Therefore, I order you to let me out to the gardens with the lady."

My mouth opened in surprise. Was he actually a prince? A direct descendant of King Stoick and Queen Valka? The heir to the throne?

The guards parted for the prince to exit the castle. The auburn-haired young man turned to look at me and extended his arm back. "Come, I'll accompany you to the gardens."

Hesitantly, I intertwined my arm with his. It didn't feel very right. If this was a prince, I forgot to curtsy. I forgot to address him as "Your Highness". His arms were lean and slightly muscular, pulling me down the stairs to the collection of bushes and trees down below.

When the prince let my arm go, I strode over to the nearest bench and plopped down, my hands in my face. I took several deep breaths, soaking in every drop of fresh air that my lungs could hold. I stayed in this position for a minute or so until I recovered from my panicky outburst.

"Did they hurt you?" asked the prince. The sun was just about set, but from the little light left in the sky, I could tell he had bright green eyes, like the rest of his family, that were filled with much concern.

"No, um, Your Highness," I said, treading lightly. I sincerely did hope that this was a prince and that I didn't just call some random guy by a respectable title.

He chuckled. "Listen, I'm as sick of this royal stuff as you are. Just call me Hiccup."

"Hiccup?"

"Yes?"

"I knew you weren't Eret," I breathed out in relief. I didn't want to meet that prince just yet. Or at all.

"Oh, no, that's my older brother," Hiccup said. "I'm the younger prince that no one talks about."

"Oh, I'm... sorry?"

"No, I prefer it this way."

I raised an eyebrow. This... Hiccup was an interesting character already. Usually, the royals soak up the spotlight like sponges. They don't dislike being the center of attention.

"Why the name Hiccup?" I asked, and decided to add on, "If I can ask."

"It's a nickname, because I was really tiny when I was born, and I never responded to my real name."

"What's your real name?"

"That I only share with the people closest to me," Hiccup winked with a smile, and I tried not to let the heat rise to my cheeks. I just shook my head and returned my hands to being buried in my face. I didn't need to deal with dumb, flirtatious princes at the moment.

"So, may I ask the name of this lovely lady?" Hiccup asked, in a small bow to me.

I took my hands away from my face and looked at him weirdly. I wasn't here to make friends. I was here to stay till I got a good amount of money for my family, then I was planning on releasing hell on this castle until I could get out. I was no "lovely lady". He had no right to call me that! Who did he think he was?

"Excuse me, but I am not a girl that you can just sweep off their feet," I said fiercely. "I don't care how posh your childhood was, with your dumb Cotillion background, but you can't treat me any way you want like some animal at your disposal." It was a little harsh, and afterward, I realized I could be punished for saying such words to a prince.

I expected him to be upset, or angry, but he just raised his eyebrows with a slight confusion. This angered me. I wanted him to be mad. I wanted to get kicked out of here as soon as possible. I didn't want to make friends or get anyone to like me. I wanted to go back to my family.

"Sorry for offending you," Hiccup apologized. "I just wanted to make a friend."

I scrunched my eyebrows together. I hadn't thought about that; the prince must live a very sheltered life, without many friends to make. I didn't have much time for friends, but I still felt bad for him. I decided to share my name.

"Astrid, Astrid Hofferson," I said, sticking my arm out for a handshake. He eyed it for a second, and hesitantly shook it. This kid was confusing me to no end. "What's wrong? Never had a handshake?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "No," he said. "That's the part where my parents taught me to kiss a lady's hand." I retracted my hand a bit quickly at that part. I didn't want to be kissed, ever. Hiccup shook his head, though. "I don't want to do that, and I hate that I'm forced to, and I can tell already that you wouldn't like that."

 

I just stared at him. His freckle-splashed face seemed much more relaxed than our first encounter. He looked like any easy-going guy, definitely not a prince or royalty, the people in the fancy suits sitting stiffly in their thrones.

"I wish I had your problems," I said through the silence. I don't know why I said it, but his complaints seemed much less extreme than mine. He didn't understand hunger or underpaid labor. He didn't understand what it was like out of his comfortable life.

"Why? I sit at desks, planning and working all day on money problems and meetings with allies. It's awful."

My blood started to boil. "Have you ever been hungry?"

The prince's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean? I've like, skipped lunch before."

I felt like a balloon that was filled to the top. I was about to explode. Hiccup's lack of knowledge about his people made me want to scream.

"Have you ever been so hungry, because you haven't eaten anything in a day and a half, but you can't, because there's not enough food for your family to eat? Have you ever had to sacrifice your meals for your little siblings to eat? Have you ever had to sell your only childhood toy to put a loaf of bread on the table?"

Hiccup stared at me. I stared at him, my eyes narrowed. I hoped I was intimidating.

"Because I have. Multiple times."

Hiccup sat there for a little bit, his face turning red. It was embarrassing for him. I let him be embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Lady Astrid. I didn't mean to offend you," he said sincerely. He was so serious that it almost made my heart soften. Almost. "If there's anything I can do to help your family, well, then tell me. Though I'm not in the picture that often, I do have a sliver of power."

I rolled my eyes. That was ridiculous. Yes, I cared about my family. But not just my family. There were other people suffering, even worse than I had it. So I told him. "How do you expect to feed all the Sevens in the country?"

"Sevens? You're a Seven?"

My fists clenched and I stood, towering over the prince. I didn't care if he was royalty or not. I was sick of hearing people talk about my caste as if it defined who I was as a person. 

"Excuse me, Your Highness," I rolled out sickeningly. "I don't think my caste has any effect as to how much I'm worth as a person."

Hiccup stood, shaking his head. I felt disappointed that he did so, because I didn't like to have to look up into his eyes. I wanted to look down on him.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it that way," he said. "I'm sure you're a great person. I've just never met a Seven before." I shrugged. Was I really surprised? The prince lived a sheltered life from the rest of the society. It was no wonder that he hadn't encountered someone lower than a Three.

"It's fine. I'm used to it." I looked at the rising moon, hoping that anything would distract me from this conversation. A breath of fresh air turned out to be much worse than that. This prince was saying all of the wrong things.

"But you shouldn't be," Hiccup swung around, so he was in my line of sight. "No one should."

"But so many are," I said with fire in my words. "Listen, it's just Berk's way. Sevens are mistreated and live in poverty, and Ones are rich and living in palaces. It's just society."

"My father never told me so many people were living in poverty," Hiccup said. "We need to do something about it. This isn't right."

"And what, exactly, is your plan?"

"I don't know, but if I were in power, I would make sure there's enough food. I would make sure that there's enough food for everyone."


	4. Chapter 4

After my extensive breath of fresh air, Hiccup walked me in the castle, and he apologized for being rude earlier, and I did also for yelling at him. We gave me a handshake, a quite awkward one, but I left quickly because I was eager to sleep.

I stripped down into a nightgown laid out for me, and I climbed into the covers of the lucious bed. I expected it to be uncomfortable, for how fancy it was, but it was so cozy that my eyes immediately started drooping. I let them fall, enclosing my tired world with a pleasant, silent darkness.

I was awakened all too soon, two of my maids were holding a purple dress and adding final stitches to it. I sat up, my hair a mess, and I rubbed my eyes sleepily.

"She's awake!" Dory cheered. Tina Bell clapped with a grin, and Jane popped over from the bathroom.

 

"Lady Astrid, I drew you a bath," Jane said. "We're finishing up your dress for today."

 

"Thank you, Jane," I said. "I like the color of the dress."

I was surprised to know that the maids hand-made all of my dresses. I thought they just went into an expensive boutique and bought a few bags worth of dresses my size.

I stepped out of bed, stretching my feet and feeling the soft carpet between my toes. I walked over to the bathroom, where indeed, Jane had prepared a hot bath with wonderfully-smelling soap and bubbles. I thanked the head maid again, and she curtsied and left me in the bath.

After washing my hair and scrubbing my body with the lovely-scented soap, Tina Bell wrapped me in a snug robe and dried my hair with a device that blew hot air out of it. She made a large braid, and wrapped the entire style around my head, as if I were wearing a wreath of flowers. She left a few stray strands fall in front of my ears and curled them.

Dory came in with makeup. She drew a very thin black line on my eyelid, and then darkened my lashes with mascara. After putting on a natural shade of eyeshadow, she brought out a dark lipstick, which I raised an eyebrow at.

"You'll love it. It matches your dress," Dory said with a big smile. "Trust me."

When she applied it quickly, and then brought a mirror around for me to see. I gasped a little, because I didn't look that much different, though my lips were bold. Not just bold, they were powerful. The maroon shade enchanted me and I couldn't look away. I liked to have that effect on people. My eyes looked nice, not too much, not too little for the dress I was going to be wearing. Tina Bell's braid looked elegant and practical at the same time, which was perfect.

Jane brought my dress in and helped me into it. It was a deep purple with a sparkly silver belt around my waist. It gleamed and glistened when the sunlight reflected off of it. I couldn't help but smile. I wasn't into girly-girl, princessy things, but I admit, I felt beautiful.

I thanked my maids multiple times, and they curtsied and hustled out of my room. They left a pair of silver heels for me, which didn't quite kill my toes, yet. I paced around, trying to practice walking in heels so I didn't make a fool of myself when going down the halls.

I walked down to breakfast, seeing I was a few minutes early. A few girls, including Anna, were already there and waiting eagerly for the food to be served. She looked pretty, in a soft pink gown and her strawberry-blond hair in a large bun at the back of her head. I pulled out a chair next to her and sat.

"You look beautiful!" Anna said. "And you smell wonderful!"

I cracked a smile. "You too." I'd never been complimented on my scent before.

There was only one other girl at our side of the table, one with dark hair, green eyes, and a forest green dress. She scooted over to us to try to make conversation.

"Hi! I'm Heather," she said, holding out her hand for me to shake. I reached over the table and shook her hand with a small smile.

"I'm Astrid, and this is Anna," I introduced.

"I know," Heather rolled her eyes. "Everyone knows of the Seven in the Selection."

I frowned. I didn't want to be known as only a Seven. I didn't like to be labeled that way, as if I actually didn't matter, and that only my caste mattered to other people. It really hurt, and Heather, who was probably a Three or something, didn't understand.

Anna and Heather continued to gush over Prince Eret while I looked at all the silverware laid out for me. There were around four forks and five spoons, along with two knives and two empty glasses. I stared at them, trying to sort out what would be the best for my breakfast, and even understand how one person would need this much silverware.

When more girls filed in, in pretty gowns and fancy hairdos, someone rang a bell and waiters came out with plates of food. There were so many delectable dishes, ranging from french toast to pancakes to omelettes to coffee cakes. Breakfast sandwiches were set out on trays, along with multiple fruit bowls and pastry dishes that had icing oozing out of the sides in delicious, slow streams. I stared at the food, my mouth watering. This would keep my family fed for months, and this is only a single meal for people at the castle.

Anna immediately dug in, and grabbed several chocolate tarts to start out with. Heather shoveled eggs onto her plate, and I just watched. I watched the other people pile on food onto their plates as if it was no big deal. No big deal that so many people in the country were starving, and there was enough food for each of us to fill ourselves at least three times.

I picked up the tongs and selected two pancakes and a few slices of glistening bacon which made my stomach rumble more fiercely. I took a few bites, munching slowly as I watched the girls excitedly gossip about the prince.

Lydia came into the dining hall, strutting in a gold suit that day, her blond hair pinned tightly back and her glasses perfectly symmetric on her face. She held out a clipboard and looked at it closely, then scanning the room of babbling girls.

"Ladies, may I have your attention," Lydia called. "The royals will be here in just five short minutes, so be on your best behavior. Remember to show respect."

The room erupted in giggles and excited hollers. Anna bounced in her seat while Heather ate more eggs with a giant smile on her face. I, however, was extremely underwhelmed. I felt no excitement in meeting the king who had done nothing for me, my family, and the people in the lower castes.

The minutes passed by all too quickly. Lydia hushed us and made us stand, so we could properly curtsy to the royal family. I grudgingly left my plate of pancakes to stand next to Anna and Heather while the royals entered the room. 

 

The king entered first, followed by the queen. They were so different in looks, I would have never guessed them ending up together. He was huge, a human boulder with a massive red beard, while she was thin and small and glided carefully along the floor, graying brown braids falling down her back.

Prince Eret entered and the girls melted. He was tall, buff, had some tattoos, and had dark hair that pulled back into a ponytail. I didn't like his appearance, so he had to sell me with his personality if I had any chance of wanting to stay here at all.

We curtsied, I almost tipped over in my heels, and we were seated. The king and queen sat in their thrones in the room, while Prince Eret took his seat at the head of the table, looking down with a pleased expression on his face.

One by one, girls were called up to meet the prince in a brief interview. When Anna went, twirled her hair and batted her long lashes, laughing at whatever he said and blushing through the whole thing. As much as I had come to like Anna, this just made me cringe at how fake it was. I didn't want to go up there.

I was next, though, after Anna, so I got up slowly and stalked over to the chair that was next to Prince Eret's. I sat down, not smiling or giving any hints of emotion in my eyes. I wanted to seem cold and distant. I didn't want to befriend this man. I wanted him to hate me and get rid of me.

"Hello, lovely," he said with his weird accent. His eyes weren't the same shade of green as Hiccup's, or his parents', they looked different. A little weird. "May I have the honor of knowing your name, beautiful?"

I looked at him for a moment, before spitting out, "Astrid."

"Ah. Lady Astrid. Divine beauty in Ancient Norse. Perfectly suiting for an angel like you."

"You don't know anything about me," I said. "I'm far from an angel, if you knew me then you would know that."

"Feisty personality. I like it," Eret winked. My frown deepened along with my scowl. "Loveliest Astrid, what do you like to do in your free time?"

"I don't have free time," I answered plainly, trying to make my words stone cold. Eret raised an eyebrow, so I continued. "My family doesn't have enough money to buy food, so I have to work whenever I can so that they can eat. I know it's quite unfamiliar to you, work, I mean, but if you need me to use simpler terms, just ask."

 

I heard a muffled snort from a corner of the room. My head whipped around, trying to find the source of the sound. I spotted a mop of shaggy auburn hair and an unkempt suit with a loose tie. The corners of my mouth twitched upward, fighting a smile. Hiccup looked up at me, meeting my gaze for a second with a big grin. He just looked at Eret and rolled his eyes. I tried not to smile again.

Eret just chuckled. "Well, okay, then," he said. "You must be the Seven."

My gaze narrowed. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Not at all, my lovely Astrid. It means you're strong. I like strong women."

I crinkled my nose and Eret just smirked. I wanted to slap him so badly. I have never wanted to punch the smirk off of someone's face so badly.

"Is there anything else you want to know?" I asked, trying to contain my anger and resentment toward this man.

"I am positive that I will learn more about you later, my beautiful Astrid," Eret said, which made me want to gag. I stood up from my chair, and he took my hand and kissed it. Hiccup made a face from his corner and I just rolled my eyes and gave Prince Eret a tiny, fake smile. I hated him, but I didn't want to be executed for behaving rudely to him. Plus, I needed to stay in this Selection for a few weeks if I wanted my family to be well off for a while.

I sat back in my chair as Heather went up to meet him. Anna sighed dreamily next to me, picking at her chocolate pastry with a distant look in her eyes. I stared at her, while she was lost in her love wonderland.

"Isn't he perfect?" she said, giggling as she sipped juice and looked at me. Her eyes were glistening as if she were in a trance. It was all ridiculous to me.

"Not even close," I mumbled, picking up my fork and taking a bite of pancakes.


	5. Chapter 5

After I finished my meal, I excused myself to use the restroom. When I walked down the long corridors, I saw Hiccup's tall frame next to the wall. He was writing on paper and he kept pressing his hand against the pillars.

"Got bored listening to your brother try to woo some commoners?" I asked, watching him take notes on a clipboard. I was able to peek over his tall shoulders because of the heels that I was wearing. His clipboard had scribbles of shapes and numbers and notes, lines and blocks covering the paper. Next to a sketch of a rectangular prism, he jotted down a few numbers.

Hiccup sighed and held his clipboard at his side. "You could say that," he answered, looking at the wall. He pressed his palm against it and pushed. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was trying to figure out. As if he were reading my mind, he started talking. "I'm studying architecture."

"So, you're like, a nerd?"

"Hell yeah," he said. "I also wear big glasses and bowties most of the time, I get spinach stuck in my teeth and I want to marry trigonometry." Sarcasm dripped from his voice, making me chuckle as I walked away, leaving him to his work.

After struggling through using the toilet with my tight dress, I went back to the dining hall where most of the girls were clearing out for the day. There were multiple activities that were available to the Selected, so we didn't get bored during our stay. About six girls gathered for a study session on flowers, around ten went to change so they could play kickball, and others went to paint on the hill, to shoot arrows at the archery range, or ride the glorious horses kept in the royal stables.

My legs itched to move. I hadn't realized how much I ran at home until, the two days I've been here, I haven't been able to run around. I used to run to the old track at the public school, and then run some laps, but only if I had free time. I liked feeling the wind in my face, the power my legs packed when I drove off of the ground with my foot. I loved going to bed comfortably sore from running.

I approached Lydia in her shiny suit and clipboard. "Is there any place I can run?" I didn't mean for it to be confusing, but I suppose it came out that way.

 

Lydia's face scrunched up. "Run? What do you mean run?"

"Like, for exercise? You know?" What? Had these people never run before?

 

Lydia adjusted her glasses and sucked in an uncomfortable breath. "I'll speak with the guards, then we'll see." She turned and strutted away. I hated when she strutted.

I spent the next hour sitting around the Women's Lounge, skimming through old books and staring boredly into the fire. My legs still itched to move, and I knew they wouldn't stop until I was able to get up and run.

 

Lydia eventually came in, still looking quite uncomfortable. "You have seven minutes until your ride leaves for the track. Get dressed."

My eyes lit up. I was expecting to just have to run in a small, enclosed area in the gardens with several guards, but a track? I was able to do a full workout!

Quickly running to my room to rid of my dress and makeup, I stepped into my shorts and old sneakers and bolted down the stairs and outside into where a car was waiting for me.

I was elated that I was privileged to run on a track. Not just any track, but the home of the Angeles Track Club, the club in which is sent to the Olympics most often.

I ran one lap at a time, each rep trying to break my previous time. The burns and aches in my muscles felt sweet and satisfying. My legs and core screamed at me to stop, but I kept pushing myself further. I couldn't stop. I believed, if you have a goal, you should go beyond hard work to get yourself there.

I decided end my last four-hundred on a fast one, aiming for fifty seconds. I wheeled around the track, pumping my arms and breathing very heavily. I wanted to stop so badly, but I had to finish. I wanted to get faster. I needed to get faster. Not for anyone or to impress anyone, but for me. This is the one thing that's mine.

 

I came in at 50.5 seconds, which I was happy with. I sucked in as much air as I could when I collapsed onto the turf. I sipped my water bottle, trying to quench the burning thirst in my throat.

"I bet you could be competing with the pros right now," a voice called from the stands. Someone was watching me! My head snapped up and I looked at them, and just rolled my eyes and set my head back down when I saw them.

"I'm serious," Hiccup said, jumping down from the stands. "You're fast. I get to watch some track meets sometimes, and I bet you're faster than some of them."

 

I sat up, tired and still out of breath. "I'm not. I just run for fun."

"That didn't look like fun."

I rolled my eyes again. "I am going to stay strong. It's as simple as that. I refuse to be fattened up by the castle."

 

"I'm serious, though, about the track club. Were you on a team back in... Dakota?"

I was surprised he remembered my province. But I shook my head. "I just run on my own."

Hiccup scratched his chin and sat down on the turf next to me. "Since you're now a Three, and if you don't make it to the end, like your wishes, maybe I could talk to someone to get you on a professional team."

I sat up taller at this. I kept forgetting that once you were Selected, if you were a Four or below, you were automatically promoted to be a Three. Being a Seven has been ingrained in my head for so long, the whole thing was still unbelievable.

Once I thought about it, the more the idea appealed to me. I didn't want to do small repairs forever. I wouldn't have to now that I'm Selected. My whole family can do something different with the money being sent home. I knew I was fast at running, but I didn't know I was professional athlete material. It sounded fun and exciting, along with enticing.

"How did you get here?" I asked, changing the subject. I didn't want to get my hopes up for becoming a professional athlete.

"I drove my own car," he said, shrugging. "I heard a guard telling Dad that a girl wanted to run on a track. He wanted to say no, but before Mom was crowned queen, she was runner, so she convinced him."

I was about to comment on how I found it amazing that he had his own car, but a distant alarm sounded in the air and Hiccup's head snapped up, eyes wide. I couldn't even talk before he took my arm and started sprinting out, the guard close behind us.

He wouldn't answer me when I asked what was happening. I didn't know what the siren was, or why they were running so fast.

As the screeching noise pierced our ears, Hiccup opened the passenger door of what I assumed to be his car, and he pushed me inside before opening the his door and getting in and turning on the engine.

"What's happening?" I asked frantically. Hiccup started driving out of the stadium, zooming down the twisting roads of the city.

"The dragons are in the castle."

Dragons? What in the world? Hiccup looked like he didn't have time to answer, and when we pulled up to the gates, all I could do was watch.

Guards surrounded the castle. Hiccup almost had to fight them to get in. Smoke billowed into the sky near the east corridor, where I only knew where it was because my maids told me that's where they stayed. The thought of my maids being attacked by rebels made my blood boil. I wanted to storm into the castle and punch each "dragon" in the face.

Hiccup sped up to the side gate and shouted at me to get out. I hadn't known him for that long, but the look he had in his eyes scared me; I had never seen that in him before. Not many things scared me, either.

"What are the dragons?" I shouted over the blaring siren as he pulled my arm.

"The rebels that want to destroy Berk," Hiccup called back. "He opened a door that had stone stairs dwindle down into darkness. I looked at him with wide eyes as he yelled at me, "Get down there! It's safe!"

I fought against his push. "What? No! I want to fight!"

Hiccup took a step back. I doubt he had ever heard of a girl wanting to fight, but it was true. I had always loved action, and ever since I was a little girl, I had dreamed of Berk opening up the military for women so I could fight for my country.

"You can't- it's too dangerous," Hiccup said loudly.

I stomped my foot. "Bullshit! I've lived in more danger than you. I'm going to fight." I shoved myself away from the staircase and looked down the hall. It was clear, thankfully, because I didn't have any weapons.

Weapons. I needed something to fight with. I had no idea who these "dragons" were, or how dangerous they were.

I scanned my area, and something caught my eye that I could use. Hiccup looked at me confused when I pulled a luxurious bench over to the nearest window and used it to stand. I jumped up and yanked the curtains down from the windows and hopped down from the bench, a curtain rod in my hand.

"Let's go," I said with fire on my tongue. I stormed toward the source of the commotion in the castle, which wasn't very far away.

"Astrid, I can't let you do this!" Hiccup called. He was still trying to stop me? It made me somewhat mad. Then I remembered; he still didn't know me. He was just a royal doll in this playhouse of plastic, fake people.

"Catch me!" I shouted. I ran. I didn't know how fast he was, but I guaranteed myself I was faster. It wasn't smart, but I was still right. I was faster.

I kicked open a set of doors to find guards firing and people dressed in black fighting with knives. Hiccup was screaming my name from behind me, but I didn't care. I had to help. The guards were painfully outnumbered, because the "dragons" were blocking the doors that the others were trying to get through.

I came up behind a few of the criminals and whacked their heads with the big curtain rod. They collapsed and the guard that was fighting them was able to take care of them. I darted around, hitting and battling with these "dragons". I felt blood buzzing through my veins. I felt alive and vicious. I wanted to protect the people in the castle.

Someone punched my eye, and I let out a hiss of pain and kicked his stomach hard, sending him into a glass vase which fell atop his head. Another person tackled me, but they were weak and I easily escaped their grip and defeated them.

I saw one rebels kick open what looked like a closet door, and there was a mass inside of it I couldn't see. Was it a person? It was hard to see. A gash, I didn't realize I had gotten, made itself known on my forehead and dripped blood into my left eye. I couldn't hesitate if a person in the closet was in trouble. I sprinted over to the rebel, and whipped my rod into his head and his skull smacked onto the hard floor.

The fighting was slowing, thanks to me, the guards were able to retake the room and overpower the rest of the dragons.

Panting with half of my sight blurred with red, I looked to the person in the closet. In that moment, I couldn't decide whether I wanted to kill myself or the weak man crouching in the cozy, tucked away hiding space.

Prince Eret stood and brushed himself off, rising to his full height several inches taller than me. He didn't intimidate me, though. I knew I looked threatening, with the fresh bruises on my face and the bloody forehead.

"Lady Astrid," he chanted with his signature smile. "You don't look exceptional. You should put on a dress and some makeup. You're in front of a prince."

I couldn't believe what I had heard. I really, really wanted to kill him now. Fury bubbled inside of me before I could stop it, and the only way it could come out without making me explode was my words.

"Are you kidding me?" I screeched. The room was quiet, I didn't even notice that the battle had stopped and the dragons were defeated in the room. "Is this a joke?"

Eret's narrowed eyes told me it wasn't. I was going to explode. How dare he tell me that? How DARE he?!

"I just saved your ass. You would've been beaten to a bloody pulp if it weren't for me, and you're saying I don't look good? Fine then. While I paint my lips and darken my lashes, I hope you'll be sewing up a pair of balls on so you can man up and fight your own battles, instead of putting them in the hands of a female Seven!"

Silence made my ears pound. It felt good to get that out. It took me a moment to realize I could be sent home right away for my words. I could even be executed. But if it made Eret just a fraction of a better person, it was worth it.

His dark eyebrows narrowed further, his unnatural green eyes filled with anger. "You have no right to talk to me like that, you bitch, I'm a prince!" he howled. "I should have you hanged!"

 

"Eret, you dumb fucker, she saved your life!" Hiccup's voice from behind me sounded. "She, like a good queen would, stood up to her opponents and fought them face-to-face to defend the castle. You need a fighter by your side."

I started to thank Hiccup in my mind, but then I started to curse him. I didn't want Eret to fancy me. I wanted to get out of here. Not to my luck, Eret's face relaxed slightly.

"Lady, you shall stay only with a proper apology," he announced. His daring eyes told me that it would be unwise not to do so. My family needed the money.

Glaring back at Hiccup, which made him look confused, I turned and curtsied slowly to Prince Eret and looked up to his tattooed face with my eyebrows slightly narrowed. "My sincerest apologies, Your Highness."

Eret straightened his tie and rolled his shoulders back. "Accepted. You are dismissed, Lady Astrid." I noticed that he didn't apologize for calling me a "bitch"

With my cue, I turned on my heel, and controlled my walk to be slow as I stalked out of the room with bodies and guards. After the door shut behind me, I stormed down the halls. During the encounter, the siren had silenced, signaling the end of the attack.

Unsure of where to go, I went out to the main hall with the huge statues and tapestries and stained glass windows. It was quiet, only an occasional guard would rush by.

I couldn't help it. I collapsed with sobs. My sweaty, messy hair got dirty with the blood on my forehead. I ached everywhere; from the run and the battle. I cried and cried. I didn't want to be in this castle, I didn't want to be Prince Eret. I wanted to be home. I wanted to hug Mom. I wanted to hold the twins. I wanted to joke with Gustav and my father.

I didn't know how much longer I could take this castle, and it had only been two days.

* * *

The next few days, I was ordered to stay in my room. It was quite humiliating, I missed making good impressions on the king and queen. I was disappointed; it sounded like I would like the queen. I missed on a group interview with Mulch and Bucket consisting of the twenty-nine remaining Selected.

My meals were brought to me, though, which was nice. I got to stay in a warm nightgown and snuggle in my cozy bed all day. But I packed my things in case. I was sure they were going to send me home. Hiccup could protest all he wanted, but telling the heir to grow balls wasn't exactly respectful, which is what a queen would've had to been.

I also packed my things because my maids seemed awfully quiet. I thought they knew. They knew I was going to be sent away. The usually-peppy personality Dory always carried seemed to fade away over the week, until she was always rubbing her red, tear-stained eyes.

Tina Bell didn't interact with me at all, except for setting my food tray near me. Jane avoided my eye contact, and didn't seem happy to be around me at all. I knew it. I savored my warm bed, alone, until I was to go home to my regular working days.

I felt bad; Gustav and my parents were working while I sat in plush covers all day. They did have significantly more money, but they still didn't have full meals set out for them three times a day. I decided to write them, they needed to hear from me. Not just the reruns on television at the library.

When I was sealing up my written letters in the same thick, cream colored envelopes that the Selection forms came in, a knock sounded. I sucked a shallow breath in. This was it. I wouldn't need the letters, I would be seeing my parents soon. They've come to send me home.

I retied my hair in attempt to look presentable for whoever was going to take me away. I grabbed my bag and shoes, and breathed before opening the door.

I expected for their to be a tall guard in uniform, or maybe even Eret himself. I wasn't expecting Hiccup in his unkempt black-button up to be leaning on the doorframe and picking at his nails. Was he going to be taking me? That was even worse! The only person I had close to being a friend to take me away.

"They sent you?" I asked miserably. I had wanted to be sent away. I still did, but after another pay or two, and not in this absolutely degrading fashion.

Hiccup's face scrunched up. "Sent me for what? Who's they?" He pushed himself off of the door and straightened his posture. "And are you going somewhere? You know they'll catch you if you run away."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm not being sent home?"

Hiccup coughed. "What?" he spluttered. "No! I slapped some sense into Eret. He's still a bit, well, salty, but in worse news, he's still quite interested in you."

I stuck my tongue out in disgust, but dropped my bag and shoes in somewhat relief. I wasn't going home. I got to provide more money for my family.

"Thanks for talking to him," I said.

"It's no big deal," Hiccup insisted. "I'd be bored here without you."

I smiled gratefully. I was glad to have made a friend. It was hard for me to relate to bubbly girls who are boy-obsessed, so having this awkward, yet easy-to-talk-to prince was a blessing.

My face flushed. The queen interested me, but I didn't want to be scolded at for banging some heads in with a rod to protect the castle. I rubbed my face.

"Alright. Thanks," I said. "Am I relieved from house-arrest?"

Hiccup grinned with his gap-toothed smile. "Yep."

A flurry of giggles sounded, and the boy turned his head to look down the hall. His eyes widened and he jumped through door to my room. He scuttled over behind the wall near the bookcase, and I was about to ask him what he was doing, but then I heard Eret's voice.

"Goodbye, my lovely," the thickly-accented voice spoke. The girl with longest blonde hair that was brushing the floor, giggled softly. He bent down and planted a sloppy kiss on her mouth. She skipped off, a smile on her face.

Eret looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I think he wanted to speak, but he didn't for several seconds. Then I remembered. I hadn't greeted his royal presence properly.

I sank into a shallow curtsy. His snark smile made my eyes narrow further.

"Can I help you, miss?" he asked lightly, as if he were taunting me. 

I shook my head with a fake smile, the biggest one I was able to muster. "No, Your Highness, I am fine."

I waited patiently until he rounded the corner until I pulled Hiccup out of my hair, wanting an explanation as to why he hid from Eret.

"Well, the Selected are not allowed to have any relationships, romantic or sexual, outside of Eret. That would be considered rebelling against the royals."

"But this is barely a friendship, let alone a romantic one!"

"I know," he rolled his eyes. "But my parents said that I shouldn't be seen around any of the girls, and that I should just ignore them and go along with my business."

I groaned. "These rules are too much for me."

"I've lived with them all my life," Hiccup said. He snapped his fingers as his eyes lit up. "I do think Mom wants to talk to you. Soon. It sounded important."

Great.


	6. Chapter 6

Hiccup led me down winding hallways until he reached the royals quarters, the private rooms of the king's family. He pointed toward a set of double doors, where apparently, Queen Valka was awaiting me.

I cautiously and slowly stepped into the room, still unsure I was welcome here. It was a lounge, with a cozy warmth to it paired with the natural feeling of luxury. There was expensive red wallpaper covering the walls, plushy velvet furniture, a large fireplace, and old paintings and pictures of past royals. 

Queen Valka sat at the most beautiful piano I had ever seen. It was a huge grand piano constructed from dark, glossy wood with shining white keys that her nimble fingers rested on. She wasn't facing me, I could only see her long, graying braids fall down her back, but she greeted me as if she saw me. 

 

"Hello, Lady Astrid," she said in her delicately soft voice. As she turned, I curtsied, showing my respect for her. I didn't respect many people. It was hard to earn my respect. But the way this woman held herself and ruled with a quiet power that was so radiant made me want to be her.

"Your Majesty," I said quietly. "You sent me?"

The queen gave me a smile. Her long, narrow face made me realize how Hiccup looked quite similar to her, at least the face shape. From what I'd seen of King Stoick, Hiccup had his eyes and nose. But these cheeks were so clearly the younger prince.

"Indeed," she replied. She patted the piano bench next to her. I slid carefully onto it. I didn't feel worthy of being here, in my simple black pants and shirt, sitting at a magnificent piano next to a lovely queen in a soft brown gown.

"Do you play?" she asked. Oh, how I wish I did know piano at that moment, so I could play for her. But my only musical ability was playing a bit of flute.

"No, but I know some flute," I said. Queen Valka clapped her hands together with a grin, and stood and strode over across the room. She slid open a small door, where many instruments were placed on shelves. She pulled out a silver flute from the drawers, and walked back over to me, placing it in my hands.

"Go on," the queen urged. I inhaled shakily, and stood up. It had been so long since I had played.

Bringing the instrument up below my lips, I started with a simple scale. I blew slowly, testing out this flute. It felt so expensive in my hands, contrasting to the old, broken one that I was given by my dad's coworker for helping him fix one of his hard projects.

I grasped onto memories from before I entered my teenage years. A flurry of old sheet music and cracked sounds pounded into my brain. My fingers pressed down and it was muscle-memory, one of the tunes Mom always loved to hear me play.

Queen Valka found the key I was playing in, and played a fun accompaniment to go along with my song. She laughed her melodic chuckle as her fingers flew over the keys, dancing along to the beat of the music.

Harmonies bounced around the room, and I smiled. I doubt that other girls did this with the queen. I doubt they had the chance to have a conversation with her like I was having.

She slowed her piano playing, and I did so with the flute. We finished on a shaky, but grand chord. I laughed when we finished and she clapped her hands.

"So, now that we're settled," Valka smiled as she gestured me to sit back down next to her. I had to restrain myself from gulping in fear of what was coming next.

"What you did during the attack was very brave," the queen said, swiping dust off of the white piano keys with her fingers. "Believe it or not, the majority of the girls were on their knees, sobbing during the attack. They hid behind curtains, under tables and couches, and in closets.

"As a queen and Eret's mother, I am not pleased to hear of the comments you verbally directed toward him," Valka said, which caused the anxiety in the pit of my belly to deepen and spread up my body to the point where I wanted to vomit. I was going to be punished. I knew it.

"But, as a strong, independent woman myself, I couldn't be prouder," she beamed, which caused my eyebrows to raise. Proud? That was an answer I wasn't expecting.

She took my hand in hers. "You stood up for yourself, and the people you care about. That is what I like about you. Eret was wrong, and believe me when I say that we scolded him. Big time. I want to thank you for saving him and for opening him up to a world of strong women."

The corners of my mouth twitched up. I liked the queen.

***

When I was dismissed from the royal lounge, I realized Hiccup wasn't there to guide me back to the regular floors. I had no idea where I was.

I thought for a brief moment about asking the queen for directions, but the door shut behind me and I didn't want to be disrespectful. The only thing I remembered was the way in which we came, so I turned to the left and started walking.

I tried to think back to a half an hour earlier, when Hiccup brought me to these royal quarters, but I simply couldn't visualize the path he took me. There were too many red-carpeted hallways, too many golden lights that shined on the old paintings, too many statues that all looked similar.

I found myself descending a set of gradual steps. The anxiety of being lost was almost replaced by the wonder and curiosity of the artifacts that hung on the walls. I brushed my hand along the wall, and it ran under old tiaras and jewels from royals from a century or two ago.

I started climbing a different staircase, which made me wonder how guards, maids, and the family could ever memorize all these halls and rooms. It was such a big place, I knew if I were a child, this would have been hide-and-seek heaven.

A sound at the top of the steps made me pause. A harsh smack. Muffled voices. Footsteps.

Shitshitshit, was all that could run through my mind. I was going to be caught!

I rounded a corner, but only found the noises getting louder. Crouching behind a corner, I peered around. There was an open door with lights flickering inside. Outside of the door, there was a small crown hanging on the wall, and underneath it, said in engraved gold letters: PRINCE HICCUP HADDOCK III.

That must've been Hiccup's bedroom. What in the world was going on in there? Was someone getting hurt?

I army-crawled over to glance through the crack in the door, but I was stopped by the noise of shattering glass. I halted, and scrambled back behind the corner. I listened for more noise. yelp followed by a growl-like voice. One was scared, the other was angry.

"Dad, please stop this," the scared voice said. I covered my mouth. I knew that voice. That was Hiccup's voice. His dad...

"Yer a disgrace!" bellowed the king. I put my other hand over my mouth. I had to restrain myself from gasping or from making any noise at all. I needed to get up and leave. But I felt super-glued to my spot around the corner and on the floor. "Why did the devil curse us with you, out of all sons?!"

"Dad, please. I'll stay out of your sight. I won't talk to any of the girls. I won't get in Eret's way."

A loud slap followed by the sound of something hitting the floor followed. I closed my eyes and prayed that it wasn't what I thought it was.

"Damn right!" King Stoick hollered. "Yeh're not worthy of talking to any of those girls. Yeh best not be around if they're around. We can't have them seeing what an embarrassment you are to the family name. And yeh won't mess with Eret's claim to the throne."

"I know, Dad, I know," Hiccup said weakly. The way his voice was cracking made me cover my mouth. I wanted to scream. He was being beaten. He was being abused.

It all made sense to me now; how he wasn't allowed to be near the girls. How he was never in the public eye. How nobody knew who he was. His father hated him. King Stoick was disappointed to have him, so kept him away from everyone.

Thinking about how awful it all sounded, I tried my best not to let tears slip down my cheeks. I wanted to plug my ears, run away and pretend I hadn't heard any of this interaction.

"Then ACT like yeh know!"

I bolted before I could get caught. I ran down stairs and through doors. My emotions were taking the best of me, blurring my vision. How could the king treat Hiccup like that? How come Hiccup never told me?

I slapped myself mentally at that. If you were being abused by your parents, would you go around advertising it? Especially if your parent is the most powerful person in the country, the king himself. It was still hard for me to fathom someone hating Hiccup that much.

I dashed around for minutes. I couldn't think, I didn't know where I was going. I saw a parade of girls in fancy dresses being herded into the dining room when I ran down a flight of stairs.

I burst out over there, where I caught the end of the line. It seemed as if they were going into the dining hall for a meal. I jogged my way toward there, trying to act casual and as if I were going to dinner, too. But a girl with dark hair and eyes with a big blue bow in her hair frowned at me.

"Aren't you the Seven?" she said, her eyes somewhat challenging. I paused, trying to catch my breath. I wasn't going to answer that question. I hated being referred to as "the Seven".

"Why were you in the royal quarters?" the same girl asked fiercely. "You're trying to sneak time in with Eret! You cheater!"

"Drizella," murmured a girl with light brown skin next to her. "Calm down."

"I can explain," I said. The last thing I wanted was to make any enemies with these girls. One thing I had noticed throughout my time here at the castle was that these girls would do anything to get to Eret. They would tear each other apart to claim the crown.

"I will not!" Drizella shrieked. "I will not stand for... for a cheater ruining my chances of being with the prince!"

"I'm not cheating," I tried to say, but girl kept shouting. Other girls started to look over and wonder what was happening, why there was so much screaming happening at the end of the line.

"I was talking to the queen," I explained.

"See? That's-" The other girl started to say.

"Tiana, stay out of this!" growled Drizella. "She might have been talking to the queen, but only to probably figure out how to get Eret to like her! Why would the queen want to talk to a filthy Seven?!"

I took a step toward Drizella and jabbed a finger at her. "Because unlike you, I'm a decent person with some personality!" My words spat fire. My words had a strong effect on her, I could tell.

Drizella squealed and jumped at me. She tackled me and flailed her arms around in a desperate attempt to hit me. I pushed her off, but she just got right back on, batting my face with her hands. It confused and annoyed me more than it hurt me. I would have fought back, of course, but fighting in the Selection is completely forbidden, and I wasn't ready to leave just yet. There was no way I was leaving without talking to Hiccup.

"Ladies!!" I heard Lydia's voice scream. The loud clicking of her heels came close and Drizella hopped off of me, wailing and screaming that I had injured her. Guards came rushing over as girls surrounded us, wondering what the ruckus was.

"She hurt me!" cried the dark-haired brat, her fake sobs making me cringe. One of the guards pulled me up off of the ground and held me. Luckily, two more guards held both of Drizella's arms, restraining her as well.

"No, I didn't hurt her," I said, pleading my case. I hoped the girls that had witnessed Drizella tackling me would speak up for me. My small hope had came true when Tiana stepped in to save the day.

"It wasn't Astrid's fault, Miss Lydia," Tiana said. "Drizella tackled her. I saw the whole thing."

A few other girls nodded and murmured agreements to Tiana's words, which I breathed out inaudible thanks. The guard released me and walked over to Drizella.

"C'mon, miss, you're out," he said sternly. Happiness swelled in my chest, but I wouldn't show it. I wasn't planning on being screamed at more by this insane girl.

The change in Drizella's demeanor was drastic. Her fake sobs immediately halted, and her eyes widened as she stomped her foot. "What?! No! I'm staying and I'm going to marry Eret and be the queen! It's destiny!"

"Let's go, men." The guards hauled her away as she screamed obscenities, mostly directed towards me. Lydia dusted herself off and sashayed away, muttering, and the girls resumed their place in line as if nothing had happened. I bet they had hoped Drizella would be out sometime soon. I had only known her for less than ten minutes, and I knew I disliked her.

Muttering a thanks to Tiana, I went back to my room. My maids hurried out when I curled up under my bed. What a terrible day, I thought. Hiccup being abused, I got a girl kicked out, what's next?

I was snuggled all cozy and warm, just two hours or so into a relaxing sleep, before a loud tapping noise sounded on my window.


	7. Chapter 7

Staggering out of bed, groggy and with messy hair, I stumbled to the window and peered through it. A pair of bright green eyes stared back closely at me, and it surprised me to the point where I tripped and fell backward.

Hiccup laughed from my windowsill, and I rolled my eyes as I unlocked the window and slid it open for him. He hopped in, taking off the black hat he used to cover his hair.

"What are you doing here?" I groaned as I rubbed my eyes. I was painfully tired, and oh-so comfortable in my bed. As much as I was starting to enjoy Hiccup's company, all I wanted was sleep. The air was cold and harsh compared to my thick, soft blankets.

Hiccup jumped backwards onto my bed, hopping on the fluffy blankets. "I'm grounded, and I can't come out of my room."

"So what are you doing here?"

"They're not going to find out when it's the middle of the night, are they?"

"Don't you have guards?"

"They don't assign guards on me," Hiccup laughed. Thinking back to his bedroom, I heard the angry voice again and the slapping sound. I heard the weak words and the pleads to stop. Looking at Hiccup, I remembered back to his father beating him. How could he act so casual around me, with such a huge secret?

It made me sad to think of what a burden he must've had on his shoulders. Who would he talk to, after all? He doesn't have any friends in the castle. He couldn't tell the authorities; what would they do? They can't arrest the king. They'd laugh in his face.

This made me so upset. Who knows how long this had been going on? What about Eret and Valka? Surely, Valka would not stand for this. But apparently, there were things about these royals in which I simply did not know. Still, I refused to believe Valka would have knowledge of this. Eret, maybe, but not the gentle queen.

Words spilled out of my mouth before I could stop them. "How can you live like this?"

Hiccup's brow scrunched together as an amused smile played on his face. "We've talked about this. All I've known is this castle." He twirled with a loose string on his black shirt, distracting himself from me. "I don't leave that often."

I shook my head, starting to wake up more. He might not have known exactly what I was talking about with that one statement, but he should've. I wanted him to plead me for help, help away from the monstrous secret looming over his head.

I took a step toward him. I noticed a flaky spot near his eyebrow, which made my mind race. That wasn't just a piece of skin that was peeling, I knew what that was. When I touched his face gently, he flinched away, accidentally pressing my finger harder next to his eye. Hiccup gave a small shout of pain, and I looked at my finger. As I had expected.

It was makeup.

I looked at his face closer. The makeup had smeared, barely revealing a small, barely-noticeable light purple smudge underneath it. I buried my face in my hands and the very thing that had just confirmed my suspicions.

"What was that for?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

"I heard you and your dad earlier today," I said, taking a shaky breath in. Hiccup's eyes widened slightly in realization, but I admitted, he was clever and recovered from it quickly. He made an effort to look relaxed on the bed, pretending like he had no idea what I was talking about.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I talk to my dad a lot," he said. Anger grew rapidly in an instant. Why was he not telling me this? What was he doing?

"Hiccup, I heard him! I heard him hit you!" I whispered shakily. "I know what I heard. How could you not tell me this?!"

Hiccup narrowed his eyes. I didn't know why he was getting angry. I wanted to help him. I didn't want him to live his life like this, in pain and fear, or what I assumed it to be.

"How could I not tell you?" he asked angrily. "I've only known you for a week, and you're expecting me to let my family secrets out to you?" He sat up off of the bed, brushing himself off. "You're a stranger here. You can't just barge in and change everything because you think it's wrong."

"But abuse is wrong!" I shouted out, wanting him so badly to just listen to my reasoning. But from what I had seen of him so far, once he got rambling, there was no stopping him.

"I'm not being abused! If anything, you're abusing me right now with your words!"

"Bullshit. Why can't you tell me what's going on?"

"Astrid, you don't know anything about me or my dad. Stop acting like you do," Hiccup growled. "You're not the perfect little angel that you think you are."

Where the hell did that come from? "I just want to help you!"

"I don't need help, damn it!" shouted Hiccup. "I'm a prince! I can handle myself fine, I don't need you to monitor me!"

"How am I supposed to know that after what I heard today? After what Stoick said to you?! Does anyone else know about this?!"

"It's not your place to ask about the king is it, now? You're just a Seven, after all. You don't belong in this castle." Hiccup pulled on his cap with that, glancing back with frustration, hurt, and anger in his eyes. He opened up the window and climbed to the roof. I couldn't even respond to him, he was gone so quick and I was too stunned to speak.

How dare he?! What right did he have to insult me on my previous caste? After all, I was technically a Three, since the Selection promoted me. I paced around my room, trying to let my anger seethe out of my pores as I stomped. I didn't want to scream, someone would come into my room. I could not be disturbed.

It was totally a Hiccup move, though. He was too stubborn to admit something was wrong and that I was right. I knew I was right. I knew exactly what I heard. This made me more flustered than ever, especially with Hiccup's jabbing insults still fresh in my mind.

Thinking about Hiccup's rudeness just made this little bud of hate in my chest blossom slowly into a full flower of disdain for the prince. I knew why he said it. He was just using me as a toy for a bit, he's probably off to see some other girl right then. I thought he was different, from the way he treated and interacted with me. But after all, he was still just a royal. Hiccup was just a prince who still had maids cook and clean and dress him, who was still waited on for his every need, and who thought that everyone below him were lowlifes. And it made me want to pound my head in for believing his little act.

I screamed into my pillow all night. At how I thought I had actually made a friend, for once. At how I thought someone understood me.

I was probably being dramatic, but losing your only friend is hard, and after they had said such harsh words that they knew would hurt you so much. After saying things that were practically unforgivable in my book. Caste insults were the worst you could say to me, for I felt like they lessened my worth as a person.

I wasn't able to sleep. I had pretended to be, though, when my maids came in early in the morning. I heard their gasps when they found my room a wreck; from the bed covers laying everywhere, from the vase I had smashed, from the papers from drafts of my writing thrown all over the room. I needed to take my anger out, and throwing things was my only resort. Immature, definitely, but it was better than taking it out on an actual person.

For the next hour, I listened to my maids lightly whisper and tidy my room up. The sweeping of glass and dusting of books and shelves relaxed me, but I still was not tired. I couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard I tried.

Eventually, Jane shook me awake and I groaned, pretending to wake up from a deep slumber. My maids smiled at me big, while holding out a gorgeous dress for me. I squinted my eyes. What was the occasion for such a lovely dress?

 

"It's for the interview tonight!" said Jane. "We hope you like it."

The interview. Oh yeah.

At the end of the first week, the entertainers Bucket and Mulch host a mass interview with the remaining girls in the Selection. Eret and his parents would be there. I knew Hiccup wouldn't be, though. His father doesn't want him in the public eye, because of how much of a "disappointment" he is.

I had forgotten about it, and forgotten to think of some answers for potential questions they may ask the girls. The questions usually have to do with the duties of a princess and queen, which stump a lot of the air-heads that are there just to look pretty for Prince Eret.

I bathed and Jane weaved my hair into a casual braid. They told me that they wanted to "wow" Eret later, so I wouldn't be wearing the dress until tonight.

The dress was dark blue, with a silver glittering belt around the waste. The skirt fluffed out in a lovely pool of tulle, with sparkles scattered around the fabric. It was a dress that would suit my almost-plain style, yet it was intricate enough for me to stand out in the mass of girls in fancy dresses.

Jane zipped me up in a simple black dress that flowed to my knees. I thanked her and slipped into red flats to go down to breakfast.

At the table, with Anna jumping beside me as usual, I looked at the royal family that was eating their meals quietly. Eret looked smug, as usual. Queen Valka kept the calm composure that I admired. King Stoick sat, tall and proud, eating lots of meat and talking to his wife.

Watching this made me angry. Angry at Stoick. Angry at Eret. Even at Valka, a little bit. Did the queen know of Hiccup's abuse? Was she aware of the abuse her husband inflicted on her younger son? And Eret. I was convinced he knew. Hiccup hated him, that might've been a reason why. Maybe Eret enjoyed the thought of Hiccup being beaten.

Thinking about that made me want to vomit all the fruit I had ate. Even though Hiccup and I weren't on good terms at all, it's not like I wanted him to live in fear and misery. Someone needed to stand up for him.

I wanted to crumple in my seat. There was no way I could go find him and say sorry. The reasonable part of my brain, the tiny voice in the back corner, told me to. But the louder, stubborn, more Astrid part of my brain told me to keep my pride. I refused to accept defeat. I wanted Hiccup to know he was wrong.

I ate little and went back to my room. I sat down at my desk and put paper in my typewriter. I typed and wrote about my time in the castle. I wrote of the dragons and the princes and the food. I felt lonely and bored, I wanted to talk to someone.

Later, my maids cleaned me up and tossed me into my dress. They braided the crown of my head behind my bangs, and weaved it into a bigger braid that rested on my shoulder. They stuck glittering beads in my hair, making me stand out even more.

Dory brought in one of her friends, whom she called a "makeup professional". I had no idea there were entire careers for that, it would have seemed completely silly to me if I were still at home. But now that I had been in the castle and had exposure to royal life, I definitely understood.

The girl layered on foundation, which did not appear to match my natural skin tone. After it felt like six coats were finished, she enhanced my cheekbones with darker powder, painted my lips a berry pink color that were so far from coordinating with navy, and put on long, fake eyelashes that made my eyelids feel like tiny weights.

They smiled big at my appearance, and left me to put on my shoes and walk down. I looked at my reflection in the mirror, and pursed my lips. Was this me? Was this who I was? The pretty girl with a cakey face, pink lips that didn't match the dress, and overlined eyes? I was thankful for Dory's friend's work on my face, but it was too much. I looked like a complete clown.

I took a wipe and scrubbed it all off.

When I saw my bare face in the reflection, I relaxed. This was me. I saw myself. I knew this girl. Somewhat, at least. The royal treatment hadn't gotten to me just yet. I didn't want to be like the other girls, with the crazy-colored eyeshadows and the over-contoured cheeks.

Noticing the dark circles under my eyes, I applied a tiny bit of concealer. I wanted to go as bare as possible, but I didn't want anyone to point out how tired I looked and how I hadn't gotten any sleep the night before.

Stepping out, I immediately saw that I was going to be a loner. A girl, if I remembered correctly, Snow White, walked by with a poofy blue and yellow dress with bright red lipstick. There was a noticeable difference between the color of her face and the color of her neck, which just made me embarrassed for her.

Another girl, I think named Jasmine, walked by with a slim and sparkly dress, with eyeliner that winged out so far it almost touched her hairline. I just shook my head; what were these maids thinking? How could they let these girls go out looking like this?

There was one girl who looked more plain-faced like me. She had red hair and bright blue eyes. She had a green dress and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, leaving a shorter layer around her shoulders.

"Not overdoing it, are you?" she said with an amused smile.

"I felt like I had a literal mask on," I said, the corners of my mouth twitching up. She walked beside me, both of us heading downstairs. I decided to introduce myself, because I deemed her friendly enough to make conversation with. "I'm Astrid."

"I'm Anastasia," the girl said. "The girls all call me Anya, though. They said that my real name is too long for them."

We walked together comfortably. She seemed like someone who I could get along with. She talked quietly about her family, who immigrated from Russia. She descended from royal family, but her family wanted to get away from the country to a new start. Her eyes were bright when she talked about them, smiling longingly. From what she had told me, she was very close to her grandmother and was missing her dearly.

"What about your family?" she asked.

My gut dropped. That was the question I was trying to avoid talking about. Not that I was ashamed of my family at all, I just didn't feel like explaining our caste and Anastasia thinking lower of me for being a Seven. She was a Four, after all, and her family was pretty well off.

"They're just a regular family," I said, acting casual. "Mom's a gardener, Dad's a mechanic. Have a brother and a set of little twins new to the family."

"Oh, neat," Anya said. "I don't have any siblings. I've got loads of cousins, though."

I was so thankful that she didn't ask anything about my caste. I had a smile on my face as we walked back, hoping that she would consider me a friend. It would be nice to have another friend, to distract me from the thoughts of Hiccup.

The castle had it's own studio, designed for television shoots and shows that were coming in. Risers were set up for the rest of us, the twenty-six girls that were left, so we could stand and look at Bucket and Mulch while they were talking to cameras.

As we were piling out onto the stage, I was last in line. Two guards were behind us, though they didn't sound like typical guards. They had young, ragged voices, full of mischief. They looked similar, but something about the one on the left set me off.

"So I told 'em, sis, no, I do not eat chicken, my good sire!" grinned the guard on the right, revealing rows of crooked teeth.

"Indeed, my good brother!" howled the guard on the right. Wait... did the guard on the right say "sis"? I was so terribly annoyed by the two, I wanted to punch their skulls in. But I'd never heard of females being guards. It interested me, because it seemed like something that I'd be interested in doing. I turned around to confront the pair of guards.

"I didn't know there were female guards," I said, genuinely curious. Maybe if there were female guards, they would let females into the military soon. But that was still a distant hope.

The guard on the left smiled, which confirmed my suspicions. She was a girl. "They don't know that," she smirked. "I signed up, looked 'nough like a dude, was entered right away!"

I raised an eyebrow when they smirked and fist bumped.

When we piled onto the stage, the bright lights burned my skin and I felt more exposed than ever.

I got multiple looks from other girls, clearly judging me based on my lack of makeup. I waved them off, not giving a care. Anya was by my side, and I harnessed some extra confidence from her being by my side.

The girls' faces were quickly vanishing by the time the cameras were rolling, though. The bearded hosts barrelled their way onstage, their jolly voices ringing into their microphones. After a short intro, they went to each candidate, asking a question based on the duties of the princess. Every girl said something along the lines of "caring to the prince's every need", with ever-so fake smiles and high-pitched voices that sickened me.

When it was my turn, I had to remind myself: smile, and say what they want to hear. You'll be safe that way.

Putting on my brightest smile, hoping my parents and siblings back at home were proud, I greeted Bucket and Mulch happily. Their red faces were much sweatier up-close, and it wasn't pleasant being able to smell their breath and look at their crooked, yellow teeth.

"So, Lady Astrid, how does it feel being the only lower caste in the Selection?" Mulch asked, which made me smile even bigger. I wasn't happy, my rage was a glass of water that was just about to overfill and spill over.

But I had to control myself. Say what they want to hear, don't speak your mind. Just say what they want to hear. "It's an experience," was all I said. I hoped it was enough.

"I'm sure it is!" hollered the short, fat man. "Now, Lady Astrid, as a princess, what do you think that your duties would be to the prince?"

I took a breath and answered as smoothly as I could. "I believe that a princess should make sure that a prince is cared for," I said, repeating what I had heard from all the previous girls. "But I also think it should be her job to make sure that his duties are straight. She should keep him in order. She should make sure that he is safe, loved, protected, and productive."

Bucket gave me a smile and Mulch nodded his head politely. Quiet claps from the makeshift audience of maids, guards, and cooks sounded as I finished. I curtsied and headed back to my place in the risers next to Anya.

I knew who I was talking about. I was talking about Hiccup. I sincerely hoped that he was watching this in his room, so that he could pick up on my message. He would know that I wasn't talking about Eret. Hell, he'd know that I thought Eret deserved none of those things.

Anya answered her question simply, returning with a shining smile. My cheeks were beginning to hurt, I had to keep a smile on for so long. These girls seemed to be taking forever with their answers. I just wanted to go back to my room. I was beginning to feel the effects of my sleepless night, so I needed to rest.

The last girl was finished with a quiet and bored applause from the guards and maids. Bucket and Mulch were giving their conclusion statements, still looking as lively as when they started.

The cameras were just about to cut out, when the doors burst open and figures in black suits streamed into the studio with weapons.


	8. Chapter 8

Screams erupted from the crowd of girls. Bucket and Mulch dropped their microphones and waved at the cameras to cut off. Maids and cooks huddled behind the guards, who were standing there nervously because they were outnumbered.

Girls were crying and squealing. They hiked up their dresses and crawled under the risers to hide from the dragons that had just barged in. Some girls didn't shrivel under the fact that there were intruders, though. Anya stayed by my side. I saw Tiana standing, with Heather near her.

"We have to fight back!" I yelled at them. I directed my words toward the girls hiding, too. "We have no chance if we don't help the guards! Toughen up and fight!"

I ran down the risers and grabbed one of the dropped microphones that went over our heads. I took the microphone off, leaving me with only the metal bar. It almost brought a smile to my face, thinking of my last battle with the curtain rod. Anya was close behind me, taking off her shoes and using her sharp heels to hit people.

The majority of the girls stayed behind, underneath the stands. I persuaded some to come out, though, like Anna, who snatched a guitar from the music portion of the studio. But the girls who stayed behind angered me. There were still dragons streaming in, their numbers growing by the second. If backup wasn't coming soon, we would be done for.

It was a tough battle. It was knives, bats, and clubs against heels, instruments, and rods. The guards weren't able to use their guns, in fear of hitting one of the girls that were woven into the mess of people.

 

I kicked off my shoes, the sparkly heels too hard for me to walk in. I stuck out my rod and spun around, knocking all the dragons near me to the ground. I was grabbed by my hair, tripped, elbowed, but I didn't care. I wasn't going to let anyone get to me. I refused to accept defeat.

One enemy came up behind me and grabbed my weapon and twisted it out of my grasp. It hurt my wrist to be wrung that way, but I got over it and punched my attacker square in the jaw. He swung the microphone rod around and smacked it right into my forehead, knocking me down and making me dizzy.

I couldn't get off of the ground. Pain seared through my head, my brain wasn't functioning. When dragons started to surround me, I could hardly focus. I couldn't fight back, I was too dazed to do anything but lay there and watch as my doom towered over me. One thing I did notice, though, was their eyes. I wasn't sure if it was the fuzziness in my eyes that impaired my vision, but they did not look totally human. Unnatural colors sent shivers down my spine. What were these things?

A loud slam caught the attention of the attackers surrounding me, and out of the corner of my vision, I saw a huge shape knocking down several dragons. I laid there until I wasn't surrounded anymore, before sitting up and rubbing my eyes. 

 

It was King Stoick, followed by Eret, that was taking out large portions of the intruders and sending them flying across the room. The ones that weren't laying on the ground, unconscious or even dead, were huddled in a circle that was surrounded by guards and looked down upon by the king himself.

"You filthy scum, stay out of my castle!" roared Stoick. I tried to stand, to see what was happening. When I reached my full height, I immediately wanted to sit back down. Between Stoick's red face, the frightened eyes of the intruders that were huddled in a circle, and the heat of all the bodies, everything was just overwhelming.

I started sweating and swaying, having blurry vision which made it hard to keep standing. All I could hear were the start of screams and cries of dragons as they were beaten terribly. I had only listened for a few seconds before I fell, smacking my head onto the floor and turning my vision black.

Hearing beeps and quiet shuffles, I slowly blinked open my eyes to gather my surroundings. White walls. Loud machines. People in light scrubs. I sat up, the papery gown covering my body feeling uncomfortable on my skin. I hated hospitals, I didn't want to be in one. All I had was a concussion, I didn't need an extensive hospital stay.

The doctor pushed me back onto the bed, though. She was an old, short woman with thick, light grey braids. She didn't talk to me, but rather gestured several times with her hands and her walking stick. I was confused. What was she trying to tell me?

She patted the sheets next to my right hand, making me notice a cast holding my hand in place. My eyes widened. I hadn't even realized the cast that was there!

"How did this happen?" I asked. I didn't remember injuring my hand. Sharp pains shot through my veins as I twisted my wrist some. The old lady, whom I assumed was my doctor, shook her head and rolled her eyes as she put my arm down on the bed. She slammed her stick on the ground, and a man hobbled over.

I could tell he was bald. I couldn't see the top of his head because of the helmet he was wearing, but no man's head is that shiny when he has hair. He did have a thick, blond mustache, though, that was braided intricately and fell as far as his chest. His underbite made me cringe, his teeth were so messed up. But his friendly eyes were the only thing that kept me from shriveling away from this giant of a man.

"Lady Astrid, is it?" asked the man, who I saw was limping on a prosthetic leg. "Gobber. Blacksmith, advisor, mechanic, assistant doctor, translator, warrior, yeh name it, I'm it."

He stuck out a meaty hand in greeting. I looked at it before shaking it hesitantly. "Yes, I'm Astrid."

Gobber pulled a nearby stool over to the side of my bed and sat down in it. "When yeh passed out, there was another small fight by the rebels in the circle. Shufflin around caused yer hand to be stepped on."

That made me shudder. First of all, there was another tussle that broke out and I wasn't there to help, and the fact that someone stepped on my hand so hard that the bones were crushed underneath their foot. I was glad I was unconscious and that I didn't feel anything. That was a type of pain I was glad to not go through.

Gobber and the woman, named Gothi, said I was free to go back to my room in the evening. I had been asleep for a couple of days, and my concussion was settling down enough for me to get out of the room. I lay in the itchy covers for hours, picking at my nails and flipping through pages of the magazine that was on the small table next to my bed.

After I ate the lunch that was brought to me, I heard Gobber talking loudly to another person. He sounded very happy and excited, I almost got up to see who he was talking to. But when they responded, I immediately halted those thoughts.

It was Hiccup's voice, one that I hadn't heard in a few days. He sounded normal. Which I still couldn't understand. If I were in his place and was being hurt constantly, I would have to fight back, or at least tell someone about it. I was wondering if Gobber knew more on this when the voices got closer. I quickly laid down on my pillow and brought the blanket up to my chin, acting as if I were asleep.

The uneven sounds of Gobber's footsteps kept walking, but the other's, Hiccup's, stopped. I heard him clear his throat, sort of awkwardly. "Who's that?"

Of course he knew who I was. He just wanted to clarify what had happened to me, and why I was in the medic's wing of the castle. It ached somewhat, he was obviously showing that he still cared a little about me to ask what was wrong. But there was still the weight of the derogative comments he made about me resting on my chest.

"Lady Astrid," Gobber called from the end of the room. "Broken hand and concussion from the fight the other night with the hybrids."

I coughed, drawing some attention in my direction, but I kept pretending I was asleep. Hybrids? What in the name of Thor were they talking about?

"I need to talk to Snotlout soon. As the head of the guards, he and Fishlegs need to come up with ways to keep them out," Gobber said.

"They'll always find a way in," Hiccup said. "They always do."

Squinting, so I looked like I was still asleep, I looked at him. He looked as regular as ever, with his messy hair and untidy suit. I had missed hanging out with him.

"With their demonic powers," Gobber muttered. I saw Hiccup grow slightly irritated at this, with a heavy sigh and a roll of the eyes.

 

"You know, Gobber, they only have enhanced senses," the young prince said, leaning against one of the beds. "It's not like they can actually turn into dragons. They can't breathe fire or anything."

"They come from the devils. It's all the same."

Hiccup rolled his eyes again. I saw him glance at me, but I could tell he didn't know I was awake. I expected him to look at me in annoyance, disgust, anger, or some other negative emotion, for how I spoke to him that night a few days ago. But he didn't look at me negatively. It was almost a longing look. The way his demeanor calmed when he looked at me made my heart soar, thinking he still wanted my friendship.

But I listened to my brain instead of my heart in this. I wanted to get up and apologize. I wanted him to apologize to me. But I restrained myself. They were talking about an important issue, one that made no sense to me. It felt like I was back in the beginning of the Selection, when everything didn't feel real.

The more they talked about these "hybrids", the more confused I was. People that had enhanced senses? Why did they want to fight the people in the castle so much? What was going on with them? How did they get their powers?

My mind raced with questions I wanted so badly to ask Gobber and Hiccup. But I stayed in the bed, acting as if I were a big doll, lifeless and motionless in the bed.

"Go back to yer room and stay there, boy," the big man said. "Yeh know yer still grounded."

Soon, Hiccup was gone. Gobber muttered curses about the hybrids while hobbling to the office. It was a lot of information to take in at once, humans with some powers storming the castle. Plus, seeing Hiccup again. I just knew, deep down, that he didn't dislike me.

But to clear my head, I rested and actually fell asleep for a few hours.

When I woke, Gothi gave me permission to leave. I got out of the hospital wing as fast as I could. I wanted to do something other than lay around for hours.

Remembering Hiccup in his room, I pondered while standing in the hallway. I knew he should not be alone, and he probably was. I needed his friendship, and he needed mine. I was going to go to his room to talk to him, and that was final.

Retracing my steps, thinking to when Hiccup took me to the royal quarters, I ended up in the main hallway and started walking toward their living section. I looked around, hoping no one would see me go in. I didn't want to be caught snooping around the king's things.

I was about to enter those doors when a voice stopped me from behind and turned my blood as cold as ice.

"Lady Astrid?" Eret said curiously. I turned around, smiled at him, and curtsied. I realized I was still in my hospital gown, and I felt very exposed in it. The thin paper dress suddenly was very cold and itchy. But Eret's face looked normal, not upset that I wasn't in a sparkling outfit with a pound of makeup on my face. "Just the girl I'm looking for!"

"Really?" I blurted, very confused.

"Of course!" Eret laughed. He slung his arm around me, and I shuddered. I tried to shake his strong arm off of my shoulders, but it didn't budge. I tried to control my anger. I tried not to have an outburst. But the pounding ache in my head grew by the second, and the sweat from the prince's arm dripped slowly down my neck and disgusted me to no end.

"I wanted to ask you out on a date, a dessert date, if you will," Eret asked, holding out his hand for me to take.

I chuckled lightly, trying to hide confusion, surprise, and resent toward the offer the prince had just proposed. But I knew I had no choice but to accept. If I were not to accept his date offer, it could be the end of me at this castle.

"Um, okay, but I haven't eaten my evening meal yet," I said, searching for any excuse to get out of this dumb date. The last thing I wanted was to be alone with Eret.

"Nonsense! I will notify the bakers immediately to prepare dishes for us. In the meantime, I can listen to your music! Piano, right?" Eret kept going on about this date. All I wanted was to go see Hiccup.

Eret pulled a maid aside and told her to send his message to the kitchens. She hurried along, in an attempt to get there as fast as she could. The prince turned back to me, his tattooed face bearing a big smile. I wasn't even able to say that I didn't play piano, nor was I good at music in general either.

"Shall we, dear?" he held out a hand. 

 

I smiled a big, fake smile, as much as I could muster. "I am not your dear." I silently cursed myself. I had to remember my plan. I had to fake it till I made it. I had to act like I was a perfect princess, and then I would let all hell break lose on this castle. "But yes, we shall."

 

Saying this made me internally cringe. I didn't think I had ever used the word "shall" before. I just shuddered as I had to place my hand in his big, sweaty hands, and his fingers enclosed around mine, trapping them. He lead me to the royal lounge, where I had played with Queen Valka previously. There was still a warm feeling to it, but nowhere as close without the queen, and with this burly prince replacing her.

He pulled out the piano bench and gestured for me to sit in it, while I awkwardly stood. Remembering to where Valka had kept the flute, I walked over to the cabinet and opened it, and found the flute after a few seconds. I took it over to him.

"I actually don't play piano, I only know a little bit of flute," I said. Eret pushed in the piano bench and plopped himself on one of the luxurious sofas, in which had red velvet cushions and gold trims. He waved his hand at me, rather rudely, suggesting me to start playing.

I brought the flute up beneath my mouth and played a scale to start out with. The notes were shaky, mostly wrong, and uneven in sound, but the prince didn't seem to care. He was simply lazy and wanted quick and easy entertainment whenever it was offered.

I played the old nursery song "Mary Had A Little Lamb", and Eret smiled. I believed Valka was the kind of mother who brought the songs and traits of a regular citizen to the castle, so the princes weren't just raised by the maids in the castle. So they weren't only surrounded by money, food, and all-around luxury.

I started to play the song I had with Valka, slowly at first, still getting the feel for this expensive-feeling instrument. I increased the speed as I felt more comfortable. I tried to imagine being next to the queen, and with her playing piano, instead of me just playing with nothing but a terrible prince sitting in front of me. It was hard to do without the accompaniment, but I still got more comfortable with my music.

My notes started to waver, and I consistently kept pressing the wrong keys. I let all my breath out in annoyance and set the instrument down as the song was too ruined to keep on playing. Eret still clapped lightly, his awkward green-colored eyes showing pleasure.

"My dear Astrid, that was truly a work of art," he said, standing. He walked closer to me, and took the flute out of my hands and setting it down on a dark wood table next to the sofa. "A beautiful piece of music," he continued. When he got even closer, I had to admit, him towering over me in the way he did make me a tad bit nervous. "Almost as beautiful as you."

I was going to laugh, or retort to his words, because I assumed he was lying and that he had said that to every girl that crossed his path. But before I knew it, he was pressing his mouth- bad breath and all- on mine. The shock factor of the situation I was in had me paralyzed for a few seconds, which I regretted greatly because it meant Eret was kissing me longer.

When I regained movement in my limbs, I pushed away from him, wiping my mouth with my arm. I wanted to slap him so badly, smack that smug look right off of his face. He wouldn't let my hands go, though, even though I tried to tug away from him.

"What?" my voice and another said at the same time. I saw Eret's eyes narrow at the doorway, and I whipped around to see who just saw Eret kiss me.

It was possibly the last person I would ever want to see me alone with him. It was Hiccup.


	9. Chapter 9

"What do you want?" Eret demanded forcefully at Hiccup. The heir took my arms and held me close to him. I hissed in pain, he was twisting my broken hand in an awkward position. Luckily, he loosened his grip on my hands and held onto my forearms.

"Just passing by," Hiccup muttered, looking me in the eyes. My eyes were wide with disbelief. I wasn't sure what his look meant. I think he believed that I was actually intentionally kissing Eret. Not many things scared me- but that did.

"It's not what it looks like," I said. All I wanted was for him to believe me. I wanted us to be on good terms, and seeing Eret disgustingly devour my face was not how to do that.

"I didn't say it looked like anything," Hiccup held his hands up in defense, as laid back and casual as his usual demeanor was. "It's just Eret making out with another one of the girls."

My mouth opened in surprise. That was not the reaction I was expecting or hoping for. What was with him?! To him, I was just 'another girl'? That was how he thought of me? He was being such a jerk. I wanted to punch him. I wanted to punch both Hiccup and Eret. I wanted Eret to let go, I wanted Hiccup to be nice, and I just wanted for everything to go back to how it was earlier, somewhat normal.

"Shut up," seethed Eret. "You are nothing compared to me. You are worthless."

And in that moment, all my dread toward Hiccup disappeared. All my anger suddenly channeled toward Eret, the jackass who still was restraining my arms. I gave a final tug, a pull using all of my muscle strength, and slipped free from his grasp stealthily, without hurting my hand more than it was. Eret was definitely stronger than me, but that did not at all make me weak. He was distracted for a second, so I took advantage of it.

"Don't talk to him like that!" I said furiously. Hiccup's narrowed eyes softened slightly, I saw through my peripheral vision.

"Why? He's a useless twig," Eret growled toward the younger prince.

"I may be skinny, but at least I do have some brains," Hiccup challenged. I had never seen the two like this. Of course, I had seen Eret like this more often than Hiccup. But besides the other night in my room, I don't think I had really seen Hiccup very angry.

His eyes returned to their narrowed position, his bright green eyes looking threatening. The corners of his mouth were turned down in a frown, and his fists were clenched in fists. Eret, however, his muscles were bulging out of his arms, his brow also narrow. Though the heir was bigger, tougher, and stronger, if I were being completely honest, Hiccup looked scarier. He looked like someone you would not want to get in a fight with.

"Yeah, because your brain is all fucked up, you freak," Eret sneered. This definitely hit a soft spot with Hiccup. He took a step forward and stomped his foot.

"Just because someone is different doesn't mean they're 'fucked up'!" yelled Hiccup. "And just because you have more physical strength than me doesn't mean you'd make a better king!"

I didn't know what to do or say. These two were arguing about things that were beyond my reach, beyond my help. I couldn't intervene, I didn't even know what they were talking about. Why was Eret saying that Hiccup's brain was messed up? Something was happening, and I really wanted to know what it was.

"How dare you!" Eret screamed. I backed up from him- his face was turning red and he took a step toward Hiccup. "I was chosen to be king, not you weakling! You're a fucking disgrace! Wait till Stoick hears that you challenged my right to the throne!"

Hiccup took another stride to meet till he met his brother, about half a foot of space in between their faces. They were both as red as tomatoes and shaking with fury. Me, the "Fearless Astrid Hofferson", was so terrified, I backed into the corner of the room to get away from the explosion which would become of these brothers.

Hiccup dared to inch closer, his nasal voice as serious and low as I've ever heard it. "You know, Eret, you actually haven't a right to the throne," he snarled.

I let out a yelp as a sickening crack sounded, and Hiccup crumpled to the ground, hitting his head hard on the floor. His eyes closed and blood poured out of his nose. Eret let out a scream of anger and drew his fist back. I crouched further into the corner as he paced around, letting out yells of rage. Still, after punching Hiccup and breaking his nose, his fists needed action, so he reared back and drove a deep hole in the wall.

I crawled to Hiccup and cradled his head in my lap. Blood dripped down his cheek and onto my tights, staining them red. He groaned softly, eyes still unopened.

Guards rushed in and even the king himself came into the room, looking at the scene. I ignored them trying to talk to me. I paid no attention to the ones who were trying to calm Eret, who had punched his fourth hole in the wall. I kept my focus on Hiccup, wiping the blood from his face and keeping his head elevated and tilted.

"Hiccup?" I whispered. I quickly shut my mouth after I had said that, remembering that I wasn't supposed to know who this was. I covered my mistake up by acting as if I were saying "hello".

His eyes fluttered, and opened just enough to see me. We looked at each other for a few moments, chaos erupting around us. He took a shaky, quiet breath in and said, "Ow."

I cracked a smile. "That was impressive. Scary," I murmured. His breaths were somewhat quick and panicky, so I ran my free hand through his auburn locks of hair in order to calm him down. "I'm sorry for what I said the other night. It's unlike me to apologize first, so please take this seriously."

"Me too," he muttered out, barely audible since his mouth was barely moving. "And for what I had said when I walked in."

I smiled at him, and he made an attempt to smile back at me. That was a funny look, with his mouth up and him trying to curve it upward. Meanwhile, blood kept rushing out of his nose, and I had nothing to plug it with. Eret hit him in just the right spot to cause the most blood to gush out. 

 

When I was trying to find a tissue while avoiding the guards restraining Eret, Valka came in behind Stoick and covered her mouth with her hand in surprise when she saw her son. Looking at his parents, I thought back to the point that I was not supposed to know him. I wasn't supposed to know who he was or that he even existed. I knew I would have to put my acting skills to the test.

"What in God's name is going on here?" Stoick roared over the commotion, which immediately shut everyone up.

"He's a traitor! A FREAK! KILL HIM!" Eret screeched, trying to get away from the guards' grip. His beet red face and the eyes bulging out of head made for quite the scene.

I looked to the king and queen and bowed my head. "If I may, Your Majesties." Valka nodded and took my place caring for Hiccup. His eyes closed and didn't open again for his mother when she took his head in her lap.

I curtsied, showing respect for the royals. The last thing I wanted was for them to think I was part of the problem here. I didn't want any trouble with the king. "Eret and I were in here, the lounge. I was playing flute for him, and we were going to have desserts later."

King Stoick nodded, hand in chin as he listened to me intently. I knew what he was looking for. He was looking for a way to blame Hiccup for this. I was not going to give it to him.

"I think this guy was coming in here to get a book or something. Eret kissed me, without my permission, and then a few comments were shared between them. Eret started yelling, then a minute later the other guy's on the floor and Eret is punching a wall."

"Eret!" Valka snapped to her outraged son. "You will treat these ladies with respect. Respect is not kissing them randomly without asking first."

I knew that I loved the queen. Eret just rolled his eyes and tugged his arms some more. The queen gave me a quiet apology for his actions, I only nodded. There was no fixing Eret, and I think that Valka knew that, too.

"He challenged my place as the heir!" Eret yelled, wanting so desperately to escape the grasp of the guards. There were at least five that had to be behind him, restraining so that he didn't pummel Hiccup's face in even more.

"What?" Stoick asked, his eyes hardening. The massive man looked over to me for confirmation. I wasn't going to give Eret what he wanted. I was not going to let anything bad happen to Hiccup, no matter what. That was a promise that I made myself, with the unusual unstableness of this castle and the royals inside.

"No, he didn't," I said. It was partially true, I guess. He did say that Eret didn't have a right to it, but it wasn't like Hiccup was saying it was his throne. I was going to be as honest as I could, only bending the truth in order to benefit my friend. But again, there was no way I would ever let Eret win at this.

Stoick dismissed everyone from the room, thankfully not ordering any punishment on Hiccup. Or at least, that I knew of. I told myself that I would keep an eye on the younger prince, to see if he would be beaten unfairly for this.

Valka and an extra guard hauled Hiccup away, while about six guards had to take Eret to his room and lock him in there. Stoick stomped out, his huge figure blundering down the hall.

I was whisked away from the royal quarters by a handful of maids, who scurried me up the stairs and shoved me in my room. I didn't even get the dessert Eret had promised.

 

* * *

"Are you even listening?" Anastasia asked me. I blinked. I was so lost in thought, I hadn't heard a single thing she had said just a moment earlier.

"What?" I said stupidly, only confirming her suspicion. She just rolled her eyes with a slight smile. I shook my head, brushing my bangs out of my eyes. "I'm sorry, I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"I would imagine," said Tiana, who was sitting next to me. "You should rest."

"I've rested too much. I'm alright," I said. I had spent the rest of the night in my room, laying in my bed and thinking. Sleep never really came, anxiety overcame me every time I shut my eyes. I was sick of being in my room. Being in the Women's Lounge even felt cramped.

Perhaps it was the way Hiccup's eyes couldn't focus on me that kept haunting me, from his concussion. Maybe it was the way Eret seemed to turn into some kind of beast right before my eyes. The way he shrieked and his powerful fists pounding into Hiccup's face and the walls. Maybe it was the hard gaze of the king, staring down at Hiccup. Disappointment was clearly present, even though I did my best to protect him. There were many secrets in the castle, things that weren't shown on televisions. They were all frightening.

"Maybe you should go outside," Anya suggested. "To clear your head. Be alone for a while."

Tiana agreed with a nod of her head. I took up their offers and bid them goodbye. Heading up to my room, I slipped on some pants and a long sleeved shirt. I was going to visit the horses in the stables and take one out for a ride. I figured that the fresh air would help clear my mind. I would have to be extra careful, though, only being able to hold the reins with one hand because of the cast on my other.

When I walked down to the main hall, I looked back to the entrance on the royal quarters. The last time I did that, the incident with Eret had happened. But looking around, I could see that no one was around. Eret wouldn't catch me if I went looking for Hiccup.

I took a step toward the royal quarters but soon remembered that he most likely wouldn't be in his room. Hiccup would be recovering in the hospital wing of the castle. Retracing my steps from when I was in the hospital wing, I moved quickly and quietly. The Selected weren't exactly allowed to wander the castle for no reason, so I tried to stay out of the sight of maids and guards.

I peered into the hospital wing. It was mostly empty. I saw Gothi sleeping in a chair in the corner. A few of the beds were occupied with patients that looked like they were asleep. I crept in, trying not to wake the sleeping doctor to draw attention to myself. I looked at the heads in the beds, searching for my friend. I made it to the last patient, and seeing his dark, shaggy hair, I bit back a smile and tiptoed next to him.

When I kneeled down by his bed, listening to his soft breaths as he slept. I watched over him for a few minutes, enjoying the quiet, sleepy environment of the hospital wing. It was a nice change from the fast-paced, noisy Women's Lounge. Thinking about it, I wondered if Gothi needed an assistant. I would gladly help her. I would much rather assist her at her job instead of having to be around a bunch of brats in sparkly clothing. 

Hiccup had on what looked like a simple piece of tape on his nose. But I knew from when Gustav broke his nose a few years ago, the white slip of tape helped you heal. I saw that there were small boxes of medical tools around his bed, holding things as simple as band-aids and nail files to syringes and small packs of liquid medicine. 

They really did worry about their prince. They had to take every precaution, even though it was just a simple broken nose and a concussion. This made me wonder why he ended up in the hospital wing instead of being treated in his own room.

I looked down at Hiccup again, and his eyes were partially open. I gave him a smile. "Good morning sleepy head," I greeted quietly, careful not to wake Gothi or the other patients.

Hiccup let out a small groan and stretched his limbs out as he woke. He sat up a bit, slowly rubbing his eyes and squinting. I knew he would be sensitive to light, after how hard he hit his head. He let out a breathy "what are you doing here" and laid back onto his pillow, covering himself with blankets.

"I wanted to make sure you're okay," I said. "I would have brought something, but I kinda snuck in here last minute, so I don't have any treats or games."

Hiccup gave me a tired grin and tried to sit back up, succeeding only after many attempts and several seconds of shuffling around in his bed. "That's okay," he told me. "I'll just survive on the gruel they serve here." Playful sarcasm oozed out of his words.

"Please. As the prince, you can get anything you want here," I laughed quietly. This made Hiccup's smile falter. My mind immediately started racing through thoughts on what I could have said wrong that caused him to lose his smile.

That was the thing. He couldn't get whatever he wanted. With an abusive father, I bet he was scared. Plus, an older brother that could knock the living daylights out of you and is very unstable anger-wise. Thinking of the older prince made Eret's voice ring through my head. Freak. Weakling. Fucked up.

"Why did Eret call you a freak?" I asked Hiccup. His expression darkened again, making my mind race more. 

Wow, Astrid. Way to go, practically ruining this kid's day. He was perfectly fine before he got here. Now you have to go and say all of the wrong things and kill his happiness. Great job. Ten out of ten.

Hiccup looked at me for a long time before sighing. "Can I trust you?"

My heart strained for the lonely prince.

"Of course," I answered. "You're pretty much the first friend I've ever had."

"Please don't start freaking out when I tell you this," Hiccup said, shifting uncomfortably in the hospital bed. "I need to know that you won't tell anyone."

"You have my word."

He nodded, eyes wandering the room. He took about a minute before he started to talk. "You know the rebels that get into the castle a lot, right?" began the prince. The hybrids. Yes, I knew them. I gave him a nod, urging him to keep going. "Well, they aren't, well, exactly... um... totally human."

My eyes widened, taking my acting skills to the test for the second time. Again, for already knowing something that I wasn't supposed to. I didn't have to pretend to be confused, though, the whole concept of "enhanced humans" seemed like something that would come out of a preteen's sci-fi novel. Maybe he would explain them more to me.

"They're what the people call hybrids," said Hiccup. "They... um... have bits of dragon DNA in their systems. W-which makes their sight, hearing, speed, scent, and strength all, um, enhanced, so to say." Hiccup was stuttering and fiddling with his fingers. I was confused as to what he could be so nervous about. "The king really hates them. He wants them wiped off the country, even though they don't do anything wrong. They're automatically made Eights, and tend to live in run-down hybrid ghettos."

My strong emotions toward King Stoick increased by a lot. Before I was exposed to the reality of the castle, I didn't think about him much. He was an average king. Berk has a stronger military and better foreign relations under his rule. Though being in the castle now, and knowing how he really was, made me furious.

"The truth is," breathed Hiccup. "Why my brother and father hate me..."

I was snapped out of my thoughts immediately. All of my attention was then directed toward what he had to say next. This is the one thing I had been wondering for the past week. I was finally going to get my answer.

"Well, I..." Hiccup squirmed in his bed. "I-I'm a hybrid."


	10. Chapter 10

Wow. Okay. Was not expecting that.

"Please don't think of me as a monster. I'm really just a regular guy," the prince pleaded. I must've looked quite shocked, and I could barely wipe the look off my face. The fact that hybrids existed were hard to comprehend. But Hiccup...

I regained my voice and reassured him. "I would never think of you like that." I wanted to say something else, too, but I didn't know what to say. What should I have said? This was a situation I had never imagined being in. And of course, I was true to my word. I wouldn't ever think of him as a freak. Even if I did, I would be losing practically my only friend.

Hiccup's expression relaxed some. "Thanks," he said. He reached to his bedside table and drank water from the glass that was sitting there. "So, you want to know why my dad doesn't like me."

"If you're comfortable with telling me," I said. "You don't have to." I really wanted to know, so I could help him through these awful problems, but I would have to delay my curiosity if he wasn't comfortable with telling me. Being such personal problems, I'd let him take his time.

Hiccup sighed. "You deserve to know, I suppose." He sent down his glass of water. "I was born prematurely. I was a tiny, sick, baby. Though my mother was joyful, my father was disappointed. Being a huge burly man, having a three and a half pound baby was not his greatest accomplishment. And since I kept getting sick, they brought a doctor in and screened me. They found that I was hybrid, I had the partial-dragon DNA. My father was so furious with me, being born the way I was. That was not how my father imagined his heir."

I scrunched my brow. Poor, small Hiccup, being rejected at such a young age. But something else caught my attention. Hiccup said, "That was not how my father imagined his heir". I thought that Eret was older than Hiccup?

"He went around to adoption centers everywhere, trying to find the biggest, strongest baby," Hiccup continued with a sad look in his eyes. "A sailor came to him with a heavy baby, saying that he couldn't care for him. This child was born at ten pounds, a pride to the couple. But they were too poor and the men on their ships were getting sick. Stoick gladly took this child in, who was a few months older than me. That's how Eret was named the heir, and I was cast off."

He sighed, eyes wandering around the room, not wanting to meet mine. He looked out the window. "That's why his eyes are such a weird color. He looked nothing like my parents, so they gave him green contacts to cover his natural brown eyes."

I reached out and held his hand, attempting to comfort him. "Valka just let this happen?"

"Well," Hiccup said. "She, um, has always loved me, but like I said, my dad didn't. A week after I was born, he, uh, didn't want to keep me. She did, but she had to make a deal with my dad. It was either keep me and have Eret as well and have him be the heir, or have no children at all."

My mouth was covering my hand. I was so shocked at the character of this king, and what he was shaping to be. Getting rid of Hiccup?

"And no, she doesn't know... um... that my dad..." Hiccup trailed off. But I understood. Of course, Valka didn't know that Hiccup was being abused. The queen was not the kind of person who would just let that kind of thing slide by. It took a small weight off of my chest, knowing that the queen still had good morals.

"It's okay," I said, squeezing his hand. But I could barely fake it. It probably sounded very unconvincing, because I didn't know if it was okay, or if it was going to be. Another situation that I thought I would never have to be in.

Hiccup sat up, straightening his posture. "It isn't though," he said, in a slightly more annoyed tone. "Not that I desperately want to be heir and king, but the fact that I don't want Eret to have it. He's got major temper issues, and I often hear him mumbling about starting wars with other countries just because the prime minister's daughter didn't dance with him at one of the balls.

"And I know that I'm... well... sort of weird, and I don't have many friends or people that like me, but feeling unwanted is one of the worst feelings ever."

My heart broke for him.

I couldn't imagine not feeling loved by one of my parents, feeling like one despises me because of what physical shape I was in and how I was born. Plus, literally being replaced by someone else's baby because of one parent's dislike for you.

"You have me now," I said, in a weak voice to cheer him up. "Hell, even when I'm sent home, you will not be able to get rid of me."

The next few days had me thinking a lot.

Whenever I passed Eret, or saw him, anger toward him bubbled up inside of me. But I knew I had to keep the cap closed and contain my emotion, for I didn't want to give away that I knew something about him.

Seeing him at a meal, or spending time with other girls, I took notice to his eyes. They were definitely contacts, that was easy to tell once I had learned the truth. But I was a bit upset with myself for not seeing this earlier. I should have guessed after I had found out about Stoick and Hiccup in the first place, a couple of weeks ago. I should have known why Eret had a weird accent, different from the rest of the family. I should have questioned more the fact that Eret looks nothing like the rest of the royals. After my conversation with Hiccup, the realization was so obvious it almost hurt.

Hiccup being a hybrid was another thing that was definitely less clear, but there were clues. How come I never questioned how he got into my room in the dead of night, coming in from the outside of the castle? His room was on the fourth or fifth floor, and the castle roof had pillars and towers jutting out everywhere. He swung into my room with ease, too, and exited with the same enchanting, foreign grace. Inhuman grace.

I had made a promise to myself to get down to the bottom of these castle conspiracies and scandals. I needed to find out everything about Eret as I could. Once I found out about Hiccup's real right to the throne, I knew that if I had any chance of stopping Eret becoming king instead of Hiccup, I would take that chance without hesitation.

Using my handy typewriter, I started to outline a rough draft of a first plan that I would need to take. I kept my papers hidden from my maids. Dory could be a quite curious person, so I kept them in my leather bag, which was one of the only things that they didn't touch, let alone clean.

The first thing I needed to get close to exposing Eret was a camera. I knew, from the casual chatter of my maids while they prepare me for the day, that one of the maids they work with owns a camera. Not of high quality, because maids are quite poor, overall, but it was a gift from her husband, who sent it to her from his work overseas. I needed to find that maid and snatch her camera, but only for a short while. Then I would return in.

Laying in bed, going over my procedure in my mind, I knew there was no way that I could tell Hiccup about this. He was a bit of a scaredy-cat when it came to this, he was not a risk taker when it came to his father. He especially would be dead if he were caught trying to find what I planned for the near future. He would tell me not to do it, but my determination and stubborn personality would always win over him, even though he was great at persuading people.

That gave me an idea.

Girls around me were always mentioning wanting to see their parents and families. What if...?

My eyes widened and my mouth opened into a huge smile when I thought of an idea. I would suggest a dance! A ball! It could be a win-win situation for everyone. The girls got to see their families, the royals would be able to meet them, and while everyone was distracted, I could search the royal quarters for evidence that Eret wasn't related to Stoick! I had to take this idea to someone. But who?

I knew. I would take it to Valka. She's practically the only royal, besides Hiccup, that I trust in this castle. I was even feeling uneasy about my innocent maids- wondering if they knew about Hiccup and Eret's throne drama. Valka would hear me out, especially after caring for her son. I couldn't wait to take this to her, but I knew I had to wait a little bit. December was approaching fast, and it would be much more appropriate if it were closer to the holidays. I supposed I could do a teensy bit of waiting.

The next morning, after a large breakfast, as I was walking to my room, Dory handed me a note with a knowing, giggly smile on her face. Confused, I took it, seeing my name in sloppy print on the envelope. I sat down on my bed, opening it.

The thick, cream paper was filled with big letters, looking like they were written by a ten-year-old. Go figure, it was signed by Eret. I guessed his penmanship wasn't his main focus at the moment, or at any point in his life.

Lady Astrid,

Join me at the shooting range after dinner, six-thirty sharp. Bring a jacket and your best game!

Prince Eret

I crumpled the note, earning a few looks from Jane and Tina Bell, who were dusting the furniture around my room. I just smiled at them and told them that I was just so excited to be asked out on a private date with the prince. They gasped with joy and danced as they dusted. That was nice a nice feeling for me because all the maids wanted to serve the winner of the Selection, for pay raises and caste promotions. I was glad I was able to give them something to hope for, even if I knew I was going to lose in the end.

As I had known before I was even Selected, I didn't want to win. I didn't want to win this competition. But being the incredibly competitive person I was, I had my own competition. And I was going to win. To me, if there was a competition anywhere, I had to take place in it. But this one, to me, was not about winning Eret's heart. My winning goal was to tear down his royal place brick by brick until nothing was left but a pile of rubble. And let me tell you, Astrid Hofferson does not lose competitions. I will win.


	11. Chapter 11

I slipped on a dark jacket, one that Jane said would block the wind. Dressed in a black blouse and grey pants, it was the most casual thing I could find to go out to the "shooting range". I didn't know what we'd be shooting, but it had rained the night before, so I wanted to be comfortable for walking in the mud.

I laced up my ragged boots and braided my hair and head out the door. Passing Hiccup on the second floor, who was designing a new type of pillar from what I could see. He was sitting on the ground, leaning against a wall and using a lamp light to sketch in his book.

"Where're ya going?" he asked, not looking up from his work. I was glad I was able to find someone in this castle whom I was able to be so casual with.

"The shooting range. I have a date." I wiggled my eyebrows with a smirk, causing him to laugh a little.

He set his notebook down for a moment and looked at me with his amused, green eyes. "Well, I'll be praying for you," Hiccup said. "Forewarning, Eret sucks at archery."

"I'll keep that in mind."

We bid good-bye to each other, and I walked downstairs. So it was archery. To be honest, I was kind of hoping that they had a shooting range with guns. I hadn't shot many guns before, and I knew that there were lots of weapons used for security here. But I had shot a bow once or twice before, so I was fine with that, too.

A chilly gust of wind bit my cheeks as I walked outside. Burying my face in my scarf, I tread down the slick hill, careful not to slip. It felt good to have my feet in my familiar boots again, rather than sparkly, cramped heels and itchy sandals.

I saw Eret down the hill, in an opening surrounded by trees with a stretch ending in colored targets. The heir was wearing a simple short-sleeved shirt and flexing his muscles, pointing his bow at the target. He was so obviously trying to show off his strength to me, and rather than impressive, I found it quite amusing at how hard he was trying. And there was no way that he wasn't cold out here in this breeze, he was trying to act tough and was failing miserably.

"Ah, Lady Astrid Hofferson!" Eret greeted warmly. "I'm so pleased you could join me." He released the arrow, and it landed far from the center of the target, but at least on the target. That surpassed my expectations for his skills, but I still had yet to see more.

I remembered that in order for me to succeed here and carry through with my plan, I would have to play nice with the prince and act along with his expectations. I needed to act this part for him to like me because I needed him to keep me in the castle as long as he could. So I treated him with a winning smile as I picked up the other bow that was laying on the ground next to him.

I notched an arrow, and drew it, feeling the string's resistance. I was lucky that my hand was healing quickly, or else the action would have been terribly painful. I probably wasn't even supposed to be using it as much as I was, but I felt fine and didn't really care. Aiming it quite loosely for a warm-up shot, I released and the arrow planted in the ring around the center circle. Pleased at my first shot, and being just a warm-up, I beamed as I saw mine so close to the center. Archery was never my forte, but I was still able to muster up some skill for it.

"Beginner's luck," Eret said in a joking tone. I knew he wasn't joking, though, he wanted to believe that he was better for me. The look in his eyes held no comedy. Those eyes...

It looked as if one of the contacts were slipping out of place a bit. The green circles of the contact didn't line up with his natural iris. I could see that brown eyes looked much more natural on him and suited his features better. I was going to put him to the test.

"I really like your eyes," I said, the corners of my mouth twitching upward as I readied another arrow. "The color is very unique."

Eret's eyebrow raised for a second, and he brought his hand up, lightly touching the eye where the contact was off. "Really?" He looked genuinely surprised that I had said that.

"Yes, I can tell you get them from your father," I continued, as I raised the bow and arrow up to aim. It was completely false that Eret's eyes looked like the king's. Stoick had dark green, almost a hazel eye color. These contacts were a synthetic green, that didn't go well over brown, and didn't look natural. I aimed and hit the center target. I didn't hit dead center, but it was still in the small circle in which Eret would dream of shooting.

Eret bit his lip. "Yeah, he's a great guy, my dad."

This made me wonder if he was talking about Stoick or his real dad. Was his real father still a sailor? No matter how awful Eret was, I hoped his family still wasn't poor. Giving up a child would be devastating, I hoped they were generously taken care of by the royals.

"What's it like being an only child?" I asked. "I have three siblings, so I never got peace and quiet." I was really going to dig deep here. His adoptive brother wasn't really recognized as a royal. As I learned from flipping through several newspapers, the media's most popular theory on Hiccup's origins was that he came from a noble family who died, and Stoick was the godfather. Smart, I supposed, to cover it up. It made me think how Eret felt about all of this.

The heir gave a deep chuckle, his clutch on his bow loose. "Well, I'm surrounded by so many people every day, it's as if I have siblings." No mention of Hiccup, his "adopted" brother. It was a smooth dodge from my question, and he loaded his bow again. When he shot, he completely missed the target and buried the arrow in the trunk of a tree. Squirrels and birds fled away from the sight when the arrow struck.

Eret cleared his throat. "Shall we try a different activity?" he said. "The sun will be setting soon, it's always a nice view atop the hill on horseback."

Playing my character skillfully, I set my bow down and delicately took his hand, wanting to do anything but hold his hand. These meaty paws were nothing compared to Hiccup's thin, calloused fingers. They were sweaty and dirty and made me want to soak in a bath. But I had to keep acting my part.

He lead me to the stables, where rows of stalls held magnificent animals. Well-groomed stallions, donkeys, and mules were herded into the stalls, with plenty of food, a clean-swept floor, and fresh water in a large trough. Even these animals were living in royalty.

Once or twice a year, if I had a day of work off, I would help out Gustav on the farm where he worked. The animals lived in a run-down barn, where the wood was splintering and rotted. It smelled of mold from the water it had soaked in from every rain for the past decades, and spiders would always fall onto your head as you were walking by. The horses back home had some hay and unfiltered water, which really showed me that everyone here seemed to be treated like royalty.

Eret opened a stall that had a gold-engraved plaque over the door, which read ERETSON. Was that really the name of his horse? How self-centered can one man possibly be? I selected a small and friendly-looking horse named Sneaky. Maybe another time I would come back and try to ride a fiercer horse, but I still had a winning role to play.

On our horses, we trotted out of the stables and up the decently-sized hill. It got colder and windier, but I didn't mind. The slick grass was a bit of a problem, though. Sneaky's hooves kept sliding, and a swarm of nervous bugs were flittering around in my stomach. I was fine with climbing a slippery hill, but on top of an animal was a different story. Being crushed by a falling horse was not how I wanted to go.

I wasn't an expert on riding horses, but I unhooked myself from the saddle just in case. It might have seemed weird, and I should have tied the saddle tighter to myself, but if Sneaky was going down, I was not going to go down with her.

Eret was rambling on as he did so often for several minutes on the slow trek up. I wished it would take faster. I wanted to get away from the prince. I didn't want to ride down this slippery hill in the dark, either. But I had to suck it up. A little pain was nothing compared to the joy that I would feel in the outcome.

The buff prince was right about one thing: the view was quite spectacular. The setting sun cast mild pink and orange hues to glow on the silhouettes of the city. Planes flew in the distance and skyscrapers loomed over the earth, a view that I had rarely seen before. I found myself hopping off the saddle to take it all in further.

I was so awestruck by the sight, that until I saw the sun's last rays sinking behind the cityscape, I noticed Eret's arm around my shoulders.

I wasn't going to bother with this one. I pushed off his arm and repositioned myself on my saddle, eager to leave. Eret sat on his saddle and lead the way, back down to the castle.

Sneaky was very cautious on the hill. With her short legs and nervous demeanor, it took us a lot longer than Eret and Eretson to descend. I didn't completely mind, for he was ahead multiple meters and was a good distance away from me so that I could enjoy myself that evening.

I bit my lip when it grew harder to see. We were about halfway down, and I didn't know how far ahead exactly Eret was. The increased noises coming from my right side, the woods, made me a bit nervous. I didn't know what was in these woods, and I wasn't intending on finding out.

It seemed like Sneaky wasn't into that, either, because she practically started dancing. Her uneven prancing made me sway harshly, so I gripped the saddle tighter. I didn't want to go rolling down that muddy hill with a horse.

Sneaky let out a neigh, and we started to slide. Tensing up on the saddle, I prepared to jump off. The horse tried to gallop, but she headed sideways toward the woods. When she started to tip, I readied myself and leaped off her saddle, but not before she toppled and my head got hit by her hoof. It wasn't as hard as it could've been, but I was still sent into the trees with my vision going black.

The chirping of birds caused my eyes to open. This definitely was not my room.

Sitting up, I groaned a bit. There was definitely something with this castle and head injuries. Opening my eyes, I came face to face with a huge pair of electric green eyes.

Letting out a yelp and scooting back into a large bush, I was so surprised that I kicked the thing in the face. It snarled, and jumped away from out of my face.

Trying to catch my breath, I sat up, still panting. That couldn't be. The black scales making down to a tail with two differently colored fins, the wings folded on it's back. I rubbed my eyes. It couldn't be.

The dragon looked back, with angry eyes and thin pupils. I was so in disbelief, I couldn't find myself to be afraid of the beast. Berk, at a time many, many years ago, had dragons roam the land, but they had been believed to go extinct way before humans had settled here. Seeing this black dragon made me wonder just how it got here, if anyone knew about it, and how many other dragons could be here. Not just in the country, but in the very woods I was in.

The dragon's throat rumbled, and it latched onto the thick trunk of a nearby tree. Using its long claws, it climbed up and onto a platform I hadn't noticed before. Made out of wood and wrapped around the tree's trunk, I could see that it served as a home for the dragon. But I wondered who could have built this structure. Someone that knew about this dragon.

I stood, but not before noticing how much colder one foot was from the other. I looked at the cold foot and saw my boot was almost completely shredded. Scoffing when I noticed the teeth marks, I knew that this dragon had dragged me to its home. I was very upset, for I had worn those boots for several years. They were one of the only things here in the castle that reminded me of my home, and one of them was ruined.

I was angry at this dragon. It was foolish, and I should've been afraid, but all I felt was fury coursing through my veins. I marched up to the tree and saw the dragon looking down at me. Wondering if there was any way up, I circled the trunk. Someone had to build it, so they had to get up there somehow. What I found was quite different, though.

There was a pile of wooden planks, most likely left over from the build. There was a small box that was next to the wood, and I opened it. It was filled with small tools, like hammers and screwdrivers. But something white caught my eye at the bottom of the box, so I pulled it out.

It was a notebook, with the platform sketched out on it, with notes and multiple scribbles and other designs. What was really surprising, and somewhat frightening, was that I knew this handwriting. I had seen it in another notebook before. I knew what style these sketches were.

This was Hiccup's notebook. Hiccup had built this. Hiccup knew about this dragon.


	12. Chapter 12

Next thing I knew, I was crashing through trees and bushes to get out of these woods and back to the castle. I sprinted away from the wooden platform with the black dragon, which was a very uncomfortable action given my torn boot.

It angered me that the dragon had taken me so deep into the woods, I could barely find my way out. But when I stopped, I could listen for the distant noises of the castle commotion. There weren't as many birds, given the colder weather, so their songs weren't as overpowering and I could hear the shouts of a few guards.

As I ran, I noticed how I kept slowing down. I definitely was not running as fast as I could have. I stopped by a tree, holding onto it for support as I caught my breath.

Then the thirst and hunger came to my attention. How long have I been out here? I wondered. I assumed it was simply the morning after the date the night before, but there was no way I could have become this parched and famished after a single night without food or water. And trust me on that, because I would know what that feels like.

I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against the rough bark. I wanted to stop. I was a bit dizzy, and it was becoming increasingly harder to keep standing. But I trudged along, walking as fast as I could. I eventually came to a jog, when I heard a slight buzz sound.

I stopped and listened. I hadn't heard any insects before. Perhaps there was a swarm of bugs nearby, in which I needed to avoid. But when I walked ahead, there was no swarm of insects. The castle came into view, with all of it's magnificent glory, along with a metal fence that was humming with power and electricity.

My eyes widened and traveled up. It had to be at least nine feet tall. When I paced back and forth, I saw that there was no way for me to get through it without being burnt to a crisp. I sat back on a tree, looking at the castle. A small patrol of guards in their uniforms was patrolling the perimeter of the large back lawn of the castle. The horse stables were nearby, and I saw the hill where I fell down. That made me wonder how I got into the woods in the first place. The dragon must have found me right by the woods, unconscious, and had taken me in by leaping over the fence.

I looked around. I really didn't know any reasonable way to get around this fence. I didn't want to call the guards over, they would probably accuse me of trying to escape. And that, most likely, would be considered treason against the Selection and the government. That was a pathetic way to die, in my book.

So, I decided to sort my unreasonable options. The one that stood most prominent in my mind was one of the most dangerous ones. I would attempt to climb a tree and use the limbs to jump over the tall fence.

Looking at the patrol, they had disappeared behind the horse stables, so I only had a little bit of time. Mustering as much energy as I could, I scrambled up the trunk of a tree that had the thickest branches. I was out of breath while sitting on a branch, but I knew that I had no time to rest. I shuffled along the branch, the buzzing electricity causing the hair on my arms to stand up. It made me nervous as the limb began to thin and bend down more with my weight, fearing it might snap and I'd land in the cracking fence.

When the majority of my body made it over the fence, I let out a little sigh of relief. But I knew that my work was not done. I had to make it down, safely, the eleven feet I was off the ground. It wasn't a huge jump, but I was in an awkward and dangerous position on the thinning branch. The danger of that situation increased when I heard an almost inaudible cracking sound. That's when I started to panic.

The branch was breaking. I tried to swing one of my legs around so that I could land on my feet, but the electricity caught one of my boot laces and a sizzle sounded. Another crack further back on the branch was the last straw for me, and I threw myself away from the branch and ground.

It was my right side that impacted the ground first, and I let out an involuntary scream of pain as my hand, the one that was still in the process was healing, was crushed (once again) under the weight of my body. It was some of the worst pain I had felt in a long time, as I could feel the mending bones snap and crush out of place beneath my skin.

I was fortunate enough that the branch didn't snap and land on me, but the force of the fall was enough for the wind to be knocked right out of my lungs. I lay, still, for several seconds, before more pain washed over me once the adrenaline died down. I couldn't help but yell out again for my hand.

I hardly noticed the guards coming by me, shouting orders. "We've found her, Captain! We've found the lost Lady!" With that, I was hoisted into one of the guards' arms and carried to the castle as they jogged and shouted into their radio devices.

I must've been a big deal if there were patrols out looking for me. I needed to know how long I was unconscious in the woods. How long I was in that dragon's presence. I knew I had to go confront Hiccup, too. I had to ask him why he had a dragon and why it had kept me by its home.

I let my eyes close as I was rushed to the castle. I didn't really hear or see anything that was totally out of the ordinary, so I presumed that I hadn't been missing for too long. Thankfully.

When the guards set me down, I could tell I was in the hospital wing because of the creaky cot and the crinkling bed sheets. Murmurs and mutters swarmed the air as more people gathered to stare at me. I didn't want to open my eyes. I didn't want that much attention.

My eyelids opened a crack, letting my vision fill with blurry images. The first thing I saw was a fat black blob in my face. It reminded me to when I woke in the woods near that dragon, so I freaked out a bit and landed a punch in the center of the object. I hissed in pain when I realized that, number one, it was my newly more-broken hand, and number two, that it was no dragon or anything. I had punched the lense out of a camera.

I groaned into the pillow as my hand throbbed with even more pain.

"Tsk..." someone breathed. I lifted my head and saw Gothi, the castle's doctor. She looked at my hand and brushed her fingers over it, feeling it. It hurt everywhere, though, and I felt as if simply taking it off would be a better solution to this problem.

Gothi shooed the guards and cameramen away from the bed. I was glad. I knew that the Selection was a reality television hit, but I didn't want anyone following me around with a camera just because I was thrown off a horse.

The old woman bandaged my hand up, making me grit my teeth. She left to go to her office, I assumed to collect more healing tools. But while she was gone, to my dismay, more people barged in the door. The queen, Eret, a short and stocky man I had never seen before, and a tall, fat man I hadn't seen, either. I mentally groaned, not wanting to talk to anyone.

"Are you alright, my dear?" Queen Valka asked, kneeling by my bed with worry in her eyes. Her soft green irises calmed me down as she looked at me with concern. The queen had an aura of comfort surrounding her, a motherly glow, which eased my anxiety as the two strange men stood at the foot of my bed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I said. I kept forgetting that I was in the presence of royalty. I cursed myself for speaking so casually, so I quickly added on "your Majesty" to the end of my sentence.

A slight smile played on her lips. "If you wouldn't mind, we have Major General Jorgenson here to ask you some questions. You don't have to answer any that you aren't comfortable with." The queen's friendly tone had persuasive components that made it impossible to refuse. So I gave her a nod.

She brushed my bangs out of my face and stood, beckoning Eret to follow her.

"Lady Astrid Hofferson," barked a hard voice from the foot of the bed. I guessed that was the Major General, given his military uniform and stiff posture. He had unfriendly blue eyes and a large jaw, set to a frown. I could tell he was trying to stand taller than he really was, but I knew that I would be able to tower over him easily if I stood.

"I am Major General Snotlout Jorgenson of the Berk Army. I have some questions for you to answer regarding your recent disappearance."

I shifted in the cot, sitting up with a challenging look in my eyes. I knew it was stupid of me to look at him like that, at a top ranking officer in the military. But I was angry at the way he spoke to me. Especially since he looked to be around my age, and yet so much more accomplished and to rub it in with his gaze.

I wondered how someone like him, so young, got to be in such a place in the military. I remembered everything here in the castle has to with heritage and parents. He most likely had a father who was a noble and got him this job. You couldn't join the army until you were seventeen, and this man looked no older than eighteen or nineteen. It was improbable that he moved up in the ranks that quickly, so I had to assume it was his father who got him a job like that.

"These are purely based on security reasons," Major General Jorgenson said. "With the rebels infiltrating the castle so often, we need to know everything."

I gave a nod, and he continued. "Can you explain what had happened on the night, November the twenty-sixth, three days ago?"

I tried to control my surprise. I was out for three days. That was a long time, no wonder I was so hungry and thirsty. Luckily, as I looked to my left on a bedside table, was a bottle of water and a bowl of peanuts and raisins.

"Uh, well..." I started, not knowing where to start at all. After gulping down water and shoveling the peanuts into my mouth, I told him from the time that Sneaky slipped down the hill to when I woke in the woods. I left out everything about the dragon that I saw.

The Major General asked me more questions regarding how I got into the deep woods, but I said that I had no idea. I really didn't. He pressed his lips together in a thin line, and muttered, "Dad's not going to be happy", and left me in my room.

I ate the remaining food like a vacuum. The water was gone quickly. I had time to lean back and think. Or so, I thought. The door swung open again and another person came in.

Rolling my eyes, I sat up to see who it was. I barely had time to register Hiccup's form before he launched me into a tight hug. Letting out a sigh, I clutched him close as he buried his face into my shoulder.

We embraced for a few moments, comfortable in each other's arms before he let go and sat at the foot of my bed. "Sorry, Astrid," he apologized, a light pink tint rising to his freckled cheeks. "I was so worried. We hadn't heard anything for three days."

I smiled sympathetically. I couldn't have imagined how he felt when they announced me to be missing. But that faded when I remembered the piercing green eyes I saw when I awoke. When I remembered the sketches that were so clearly Hiccup's that were underneath the tree structure.

"What is that thing in the woods?" I asked. His eyebrow raised in confusion before I continued. "The tree platform. For the dragon."

Hiccup's eyes widened as he pursed his lips. He noticed the tear in my boot and his eyes widened even more. "Did he hurt you?" he demanded, fury suddenly raising in his voice.

"What? No!" I said, shocked at the sudden change in demeanor by my friend. He visibly relaxed and let out a breath. But that still didn't answer my question. "Hiccup, you know that dragon."

He bit his lip, leaning back, before nodding a little bit. "His name is Toothless," he said quietly, looking around to see if anyone else was around. Hearing this, I scrunched my brow up. That was a stupid name. When the dragon growled at me, it definitely had teeth.

"He has retractable teeth," Hiccup explained as if he read my mind. "I... ah... found him in the woods when I ran away for the first time. He had a missing tail fin, so I built him a new one, and now we're friends."

I couldn't help but raise my brow. The longer I stayed in this castle, the more ridiculous everything became. Scandals, hybrids, dragons. My life was much simpler as a poor girl who fixed appliances. A part of me wished I had that life back. But I knew that I would never get it back. My life, even when I was to be sent back home, was still going to have a spotlight on it. Suitors would be pursuing me, I'd have people looking up to me, and much more money than before. This made me a little bit sad, but I cheered up when the thought of the twins having a proper childhood shined a light on the situation.

"So, when were you going to tell me?" I asked, challenging him playfully. This clearly makes him uncomfortable, and I enjoyed it.

Hiccup scratched the back of his head, refusing to make eye contact with me. "That's a good question."

I laughed and punched his arm.

Days later, I was sitting on my own bed, a fresh cast on my arm. I was sick of having the same hand restrained all the time now, I wanted to write. I was limited by so many things with the bulky equipment on my hand. It was hard to eat, drink, bathe, put on clothes, and more.

Hiccup was sitting on the chair at my desk, telling me more about Toothless, his dragon. The way his eyes lit up when he talked about his "best friend" was amusing. According to him, there were still a few wild dragons that roamed around. They were extremely endangered, though, and hardly anyone knew about them, except for hybrids.

"Most of them live in the camps, though," he said, distracted by a pencil he was fiddling in his hands. "Not many of them stray far."

"Camps?" I said. Hiccup looked up, as if realizing what he just said.

"Nevermind," he responded quickly, focusing on his pencil, all too nervously.

I threw a slipper at him, which grabbed his attention. "What camps?"

He sighed, tossing his pencil back on my desk. "There's no hiding anything from you, is there?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hello I know it's been, like, a YEAR since I updated on here. I've updated on FF.net tho, same title, same user! The next couple of days I'm going to work on editing and formatting all the old chapters to post on here again.   
> Enjoy?  
> (I haven't rewritten this at all, and I wrote all this, like, a year ago. So yes, I've improved in my writing from this so don't judge me off of this pls xD)

The sunlight leaked from the open patches in the foliage, warming my skin at the contact. It was a particularly chilly day as winter grew nearer by the day. The soil was squishy and moist beneath my feet. My boots almost sank with each step I took.

The province of Angeles was further south and on the west coast of the country, making it much warmer than my home in Dakota. It was still cold here, enough for me to clutch my jacket closer and hug my sides tighter, but the temperatures weren't low enough to freeze your fingers off right as you stepped outside. Back home, there were many times where I would work late in the shop. I had to do so in order to provide more money for heating in our small house, and also because it was simply warmer there. Being up north during the winter was difficult. I was glad that I was in a warmer climate and that my family had more money for warmth.

Hiccup led me through the dense trees, occasionally swatting a branch out of the way. When we first left the castle, he brought me behind the stables where no one could see us, and he whistled a disturbing pitch. Loud enough for the dragon, Toothless, to come bounding out of the woods, but quiet enough so no one nearby was able to hear.

Hiccup climbed on the back of Toothless, which forced me to do the same, if I wanted to see Hiccup's "dragon camps". Toothless easily cleared the fence, and we dismounted him as he trotted away. We followed him, carefully stepping through the overgrown forest of large trees and thorny bushes until we came across the same wooden platform as I had encountered a few days previously.

"He brought you here?" Hiccup asked, surveying the area, most likely to check if anyone followed us.

I nodded, leaning against a tree. "Yeah. Dragged by my boot," I said, pointing down. I had asked my maids to mend it, for I didn't want a new pair. They looked sort of horrified, not at the destruction of the footwear, but of my "horrid fashion choices". Begrudgingly, they sewed it as best they could, returning it to me still in a torn condition, but somewhat wearable.

"I wonder why," Hiccup muttered, taking out his notebook that was on the other end of the tree. "And why he kept you alive." I pushed myself off the tree trunk and circled to meet him, seeing him flipping through his book. Sensing my confusion, he continued. "It hasn't become uncommon for a body to be waiting for me here. Toothless is very protective of my things."

I shuddered at the thought. No doubt, when I looked into those dragon green eyes, they were menacing and threatening. I knew dragons were terribly dangerous, but it was still hard to comprehend that I could've been shredded to pieces in a few seconds.

Hiccup tossed the journal back into the box by the wood planks and kicked it closed, hoisting his bag back over his shoulder, calling for me and Toothless to follow him. He walked a path that seemed very familiar to him, as he predicted each hole in the ground and branch that was in the way of the invisible pathway.

Toothless was a much different character, now that he knew I was friends with Hiccup. He bounded and pranced around me happily, tongue lolling out of his mouth and pupils wide with affection when I patted him. The three of us trudged through the thick woods with me not knowing where we would be heading.

When Hiccup said he would show me a camp, I didn't know if he meant a campground, a summer camp, a work camp, or any other kind. It gave me a wide variety of options to imagine while we were waiting. But from the noises I heard when we approached a dense barrier thicket, I knew that it wasn't any of those things.

A figure, standing outside of the wall of ferns in a black tunic, greeted Hiccup with a smile. "Always a pleasure, Lord Haddock." he said, icy blue eyes twinkling. I noticed that his eyes had the weird glimmer in them, the one that I had seen in the rebels attacking the castle, and even in Hiccup's eyes sometimes. This guard was a hybrid.

The ferns opened to a small tunnel made of the same thickets and thorns. We had to duck through so our heads didn't catch all the plants. I took our opportunity to say, "Lord Haddock" with a smile, which caused my friend to emit a groan.

"I told them not to call me that," Hiccup grunted as a twig caught his hair. "They won't stop because I come from the royal family, and I'm one of their leaders. It's annoying, I'm no lord."  
I snickered at the annoyance in his tone. From what I gathered by watching him in the castle, he didn't like royal attention by even lower castes, such as the maids. It was funny to see him have no control over this. I stopped smiling when he dropped out of the tunnel and landed on his feet below. I slid my legs forward and pushed myself out as well, taking in the new scene before me.  
It was a crater-like landform, stretching about two-hundred yards in diameter. It was slight dip in the ground with short but steep edges that were guarded by the thorny bushes. It was lush and filled with greenery, with wooden huts woven through the flat space which was within the camp. People in neutral colored clothes were scattered amongst the camp, interacting with each other, gathered around a fire pit in the middle, or grooming dragons.

I stepped out slowly, in awe of the place that was set out before me. Hiccup looked back with a small smirk as people came to greet him. As I looked around, I saw that near the borders of the camp there were bigger, more open structures with hay thrown on the ground. They were dragon stables, for the ones that were in this camp. I spotted a few, maybe seven or eight, fluttering around the camp area. Seeing this many people being in alliance with the magnificent beasts was life-changing. The moment was quickly broken when Toothless lept into the camp and bumped into me, causing me to stumble into Hiccup, who was talking with a person in a beige tunic and brown vest.

"Whoa, Hiccup, is this... ?" the man trailed off, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. He was tall, about the same height as Hiccup, but he was massive. He probably would have been taller if he didn't hunch over. He had huge cheeks and a fatter body, but his eyes were delicate and soft. He was ginormous and utterly unthreatening.

A small crowd had gathered at that point. They all had that same glint in their eyes, the hybrids. Their irises were unnaturally bright colors, their pupils closer to ovals than circles, almost resembling a dragon's eye. They were all skin tones, hair colors, genders, and body types. There were huge, burly men like the blonde that was talking to Hiccup, and then a little girl, about as tall as my waist that carried a battle axe. I was jealous of that axe.

Hiccup waved to the crowd, trying to get their mutters and murmurs to quiet down. I knew they were all whispering about me. Their eyes told them I was not a hybrid, that I was regular. They were wondering why I was in their camp, why I was with the prince.

"Hello, friends," the prince called out, over the newly gathered camp. "As you may have noticed, I have brought someone with me today." He used his arm to gesture toward me. "This is Astrid." That caused more whispering to erupt throughout the collection of hybrids. They had heard my name before. I could tell.

Hiccup waved at them again. "Yes, she is one of the Ladies in the Selection. She is also an Ally, so she is not a threat."

"How do we know we can trust her?" a voice called from the back of the crowd. "Is she really an Ally?"

Hiccup's eyes narrowed slightly. "I have never brought anyone here before, I wouldn't bring her here if I didn't completely trust her." His fierce gaze made the questioner back off. The power that he was showing so early into the visit in the camp was impressive, especially since he had very little in comparison to his family back in the castle.

I tried not to smile at his words. It was a feeling of warmth that spread throughout me, knowing that I had a friend that could place their trust in me. I knew that I could trust him, too.  
Hiccup beckoned me to follow him as he started walking, so I trailed behind him closely, aware of the gazes placed on me by these hybrids. Though they trusted Hiccup and were loyal to him, I was an outsider. I was from the castle, pampered by the maids and brainwashed by the nobility. They didn't know what I knew about Eret and Stoick.

There was a hut that was longer and sturdier than the rest of them, located relatively near the center of the camp, but pushed slightly back so there was room around it. Hiccup looked back at me when he entered, giving me a small but reassuring smile. I was thankful for that, because the loud voices that were coming out of the tent made me nervous. Butterflies flitted in my gut and anxiety tightened my chest as Hiccup lead me in.  
It smelled of earth. The dirt ground was covered with home-woven rugs of varying pattern and design, adding flashes of color to the dark brown walls constructed of mud and sticks. There was a wooden table in the middle of the hut, with a few chairs here and there. There were a few people gathered around, talking loudly. They all stopped when they saw Hiccup and me.

"Lord Haddock," said the person in the middle of the table, who was short with dark hair and blue eyes. I realized quickly he was Major General Jorgenson, the same young man who had questioned me on my encounter in the woods. What on earth was a military official doing in the rebel camp? I wondered.

"Snot, you know not to call me that," Hiccup said, pulling a chair back and sitting in it.

"I do it to annoy you," snickered Major General Jorgenson. "And it works." He sat in his own chair and leaned back, kicking his feet up on the table. "So, what brings Lady Hofferson here on this lovely afternoon?" He asked, directing his question toward me.

"She's with the rebellion," Hiccup said.

"I knew there was something different about her," another voice said. I noticed the two other people in the room looked oddly similar. It hatched in my brain that they were the two guards from the interview with all the girls together. The one female guard and her brother who liked chicken. Right.

"You're right, sis," agreed the male guard. "I can see the destruction in her eyes!" The blondes huddled closer to each other and gossiped about how they predicted I was going to end up in their rebel camp.

I rolled my eyes and focused back on the Major General. It appalled me to think that the man in charge of all the guards was a part of the resistance that frequently attacked the castle. But that made me think harder. If the castle didn't know he was a rebel, then it was definitely easier for the rebels to get inside the castle. Jorgenson most likely manipulated the guard schedules to fit around the attacks! That's how the castle was infiltrated so often. That clever bastard.

"Sorry about the yelling earlier this week," Jorgenson said casually to me, playing with a pen. "Had to act all serious 'n shit for the boss." He laughed at that and tossed the pen back behind him.

"It's fine," I said slowly. The way he was speaking now was very different from how he was shouting at me a few days ago in my hospital bed. He didn't sound military at all, let alone a higher ranking that controlled thousands of people. He sounded like one of the football jocks that used to walk around my town and throw eggs at people's houses.

I was still confused as to how he could be a part of this and not be caught. Surely the security would have caught him? Wait... he controlled security. "How can you work here and for the rebels, too?" I asked.

Jorgenson whistled. "Dad's the general, so I got the job. Just gotta play the part, make security around my time of leaving." He leaned forward with a dark smirk. "The old man and the king have no idea."

I looked at Hiccup, but his expression didn't say anything. He didn't look as if he were planning to say anything, either. So I went ahead. "Do the rebels have anything in mind about exposing Eret, and having Hiccup placed as the rightful heir?"

I could feel Hiccup's change in expression as his eyes bore into the side of my face. I don't think he thought that I was thinking much of the topic. Jorgenson just nodded while scratching his chin.

"Yeah, but we don't know where the files would be kept. We've tried to search for them, but we're always caught," he explained.

"Well, what if there was a big distraction for everyone, so they didn't know you were searching for the files?" I said. I told them about my ideas for hosting a ball, so that the royals, guards, and Selected would all be occupied while the search for the files commenced.

I could almost hear Hiccup's silent disbelief with me as I finished. Major General Jorgenson looked at me with a look of admiration, saying, "Haddock, this pretty one's got some good ideas." He leaned forward again to come closer to me. "From now on, you can call me Snotlout. Snotty and Snottykins are not off-limits, either."

I couldn't react to what Snotlout had just told me before Hiccup said, "Do not call her that." Sternness and a sense of protection coated his voice, and I was thankful. I looked at him, thanking him with my eyes, and he nodded.

Snotlout leaned back with his hands up defensively. "My bad, my bad. No need to get your panties in a twist. Lady Astrid, you talk to the queen about the ball. She likes you, and will want to hear it from one of the Selected, not a guard or prince. I'll start planning the attack with the rebels and guards."

***  
Hiccup and I walked out of the camp in fairly good moods. Or at least, I did. I was glad that Snotlout liked my idea of the dance. It made me happy to get a chance for Hiccup to have his rightful place as the heir to Berk's throne. The hybrids could finally live in peace.

 

"Does anyone else know that the camp is there? It's so close to the castle," I said, letting out my thinking for the past hour.

"Not that we know of. It's a few miles into the woods, and no one goes beyond the fence. Not even the guards," Hiccup said. "It's far enough for them not to know we're here, but close enough to have quick retreats from the castle to camp." I noticed quickly that he referred to the rebels as "we" and not "they". I felt as if Hiccup had a bigger part of this plan than I thought initially, along with the proof of people believing that "Lord Haddock" is their leader in the camp.

"The guards don't follow them back after they've attacked?"

"No. Not yet."

I shrugged. As long as the royals didn't know that the rebels were in their woods. It seemed unlikely, but then again, they had no reason to venture into the forest, beyond the electric fence. I looked over at my friend, who seemed lost in thought. The expression on Hiccup's face was hard to interpret, but the way his eyebrows slightly narrowed made me wonder if he was angry at anything. "Are you okay?"

He shook out of his thinking state as we walked through the woods, Toothless padding behind us. "What?"

"You looked a little angry."

Hiccup sighed as we walked. It was a very enjoyable day, with a nice, cool temperature and the sun shining on our skin. The forest was humming with life, preparing for winter and storing food away. I wished that I could be one of those creatures, preparing for the winter, instead of being thrown into the world of royal scandals and castle drama.

"I'm worried," the prince admitted, looking at me with his enchanting green eyes. "I don't want you getting hurt."

It was hard to contain the surprise on my face. "What? Hiccup, I'm fine." Did he think I wasn't strong enough to handle myself out here? I was practically left to fend for myself back home. Of course I was able to handle some problems with the stupid heir and king. "I can handle myself just fine." I'd expect him to know that by where we were in our friendship.

"No, I know, I know you can," Hiccup said, obviously trying to piece his words together carefully. "But this is serious shit, Astrid. This isn't cops and robbers or some little kid game. This involves treason against the kingdom and severe punishments. I shouldn't have taken you to the camp. This is all my fault."

I stopped walking, planting my feet in the soft soil. "What? Because of me coming here, we're going to make serious progress!" What was so hard to understand?! He clearly didn't think I was capable enough, and that made my blood start to boil.

"Astrid, if they found out you came here, you could be executed!" Hiccup's voice started to raise again. I hated when that happened. He didn't get angry too often, so it was serious when he did. "And it would be all my fault. I brought you into this mess." He started running his hands through his hair, in a slight panic. "You're my only friend. If anything happened to you because of me, I don't know what I would do."

I tried to calm myself down. There was no reason to get angry. I slowed my breathing and tried to get my fingers to stop shaking. My anger subsided and I tried to coax him down. "Hiccup, Hiccup," I said taking his hands out of his hair. "This is what I want to do. I want to help. I've always lived on the edge, haven't I? The threat of execution doesn't scare me if it's helping you. I got into this mess on my own, and I plan on going through with it. So calm down, this is all my fault, not yours."

Hiccup bit his lip and nodded some, though his eyes were still upset. I pulled him into a hug to comfort him. I could feel his rapid breathing start to slow as he rested his chin on top of my head, able to do so because of his height.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I appreciate the thought," I said. I was going to continue, saying how I was tough enough to handle myself, but I let it go. He had that heard enough, I think I got my point across. I had a feeling it went deeper than just assuming I was weak.

"This isn't Dakota," he said quietly, continuing his thinking. He started to ramble, as he did so often when he got talking. There was hardly a chance of stopping his talking, now. "There are really powerful people here, who seem to know everything that goes on. There are eyes and ears where you least expect them. The nobles have more power than you can imagine, and are able to tear down everything you know in a second."

He held me closer before muttering, "You're not safe here anymore."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again pls don't judge me on my early writing skills lol. x


	14. Chapter 14

It was the two-hundredth time I had run the hairbrush through my hair.

I was dressed in a simple blue dress that brushed just below my knees. The maids insisted I wear it to see the queen. They also wanted to see me with my hair down for once, to my dismay, so they let my wavy locks down, cascading like a waterfall down my back. I kept a hair tie on my wrist in case it got too annoying having my hair down. I wasn't used to letting my hair down.  
They put a diamond-encrusted headpiece on the crown of my head, to "give it a little spice" as Dory notably commented. My bangs hung loose above my eyes and tucked snug behind my ear. The maids did a makeup look that tricked the eye into thinking I was wearing nothing, for which I was glad.

I was to visit the queen whenever I wanted at this point, so I sat in my bathroom, in front of the mirror, and replayed my planned words. I said them as I brushed my blond hair, making sure I looked perfect for the queen. I wasn't usually keen on caring for my looks, but if looking nice was able to sway Valka into agreeing, I was all for it.

I set the brush down and gave myself a reassuring look in the mirror. I was Astrid Hofferson, I could do this. I could do anything.

I pushed the chair away and walked out of the bathroom, out of my room, and into the hall. I wore flat shoes, not heels, so I would be able to walk more confidently. I passed other girls on the way who gave me looks, but I ignored them. I had to focus on the request. She was waiting for me.

After walking for a few minutes down to the main hall, I met Hiccup at the doors to the royal headquarters. He bowed to me and offered his arm, a goofy grin playing on his face. "My Lady Hofferson, I am your unofficial escort to Her Majesty."

I took his arm with a humored smile and curtsied. "My, my, how lovely! I couldn't ask for better service!"

We walked to the lounge, the place I had been a few times before. Once with the queen, and once with Eret. Both were quite memorable, but in their own ways. One was a bit less of a, well, positive experience, in my book.

The golden lights and plush, red carpets of the hallways still amazed me. So many expensive things, statues and paintings, condensed into small areas, such as a sitting area off of a hallway that held items worth ten times the worth of my home. Of course, Hiccup paid no mind to this. He walked casually through it, for it was all he knew. It was what he grew up in.

It was almost funny to me to think about the contrast in Hiccup's double-life scheme. On one end, he was an outcast that had endless riches and piles of people waiting to serve his every need, whilst on the other end, he was running a village of poverty-stricken non-humans living out of huts made from mud and twigs. The boy certainly did know how to get himself in trouble.  
Seeing a few guards scattered around the quarters, it reminded me of the twins I had seen in the camp just two days earlier. It made me wonder why they were there, along with Snotlout Jorgenson. What part did they play in the rebellion?

"Why are those blonde guards participating in the rebellion?" I asked Hiccup very quietly, before adding, "And Snotlout, too?"

Hiccup cocked an eyebrow, before responding. "You didn't notice? They're all hybrids, too."  
I blinked. Of course. "How have they not been caught?" I asked. "They work in the castle, right?"

"They've never been tested by a doctor like I was. And to be frank, Snotlout's dad is a real airhead. Nobody really cares to notice about the guards."

"Their raids on the castle..." I said, trailing off, not knowing where to start with my sentence.  
"They participate in them to help the rest of the hybrids. They may seem totally selfish, and Snot is, but they all hate Eret. The raids are attempts to overthrow Eret, and or, find evidence to claim that Eret isn't related to Dad."

I nodded. This made me wonder how many hybrids actually worked inside the castle. It was a huge possibility that multiple maids, cooks, and other guards were secretly hybrid. Stoick and Eret had more people against them than I thought. Hell, one of my maids could be a hybrid for all I knew. What darkened the idea of multiple dragon hybrids in the castle was thinking about how many didn't know there was a rebellion. They had to live their lives in fear of being caught with no source of hope. I sincerely hoped that there weren't many hybrids in the castle, for their sake, and those that were, knew about the rebellion.

We reached the hallway where the lounge was located. I took a deep breath and looked at the prince. He shared my gaze and nodded. I took a breath and bit my lip, praying that the queen wouldn't be able to see my nerves. I shoved my nerves down, rolling my shoulders back and tilted my head, getting the stiffness out of my neck.

"Astrid?" Hiccup called quietly. I looked back at him. "Good luck. And- uh... yeah."

I smiled as I entered the lounge quietly, seeing the queen sitting on one of the sofas. Her gentle aura hit me, calming the all the nerves I had. The last thing I wanted to be was caught.. She patted the cushion next to her, so I curtsied and sat down slowly.

"I was told you wanted to talk to me," Valka said in her smooth voice.

"Yeah. I mean, yes, Your Majesty." I cursed myself for that.. "So, the Selected have been in the castle for around two, three months at this point, right?"

Valka nodded, so I breathed in and continued. "The holidays are coming up, and we haven't seen our families in a long time. I was thinking that a nice dance, or ball, would suffice. We could invite our families, plus more guests, and Prince Eret would get to meet our parents, too. You, Your Majesty, would be able to, too. It would be a nice change of pace from what we're used to."

After a few minutes of silence, butterflies invaded my gut once again. Had I asked for too much? It seemed relatively simple, but it was such an important part in the overall plan. It had to work. Valka couldn't be suspicious of anything.

"This is just a thought that me and a few other girls had," I said, not completely lying. I mean, the female guard had agreed to the idea.

Valka leaned back and adjusted her crown, thinking. I didn't want to look at her while she was thinking, so my eyes wandered. There was a mirror above a fireplace that was located in the center of the wall, between the two sets of doors. I saw myself and fixed my posture. I had to look perfect for her. Everything counted in this situation. Slouchy posture would not be acceptable.

While dwelling on posture, I didn't realize the queen staring at me. I spluttered as I regained my composure. "My apologies... Your Majesty..."

Valka waved it off with a smile. "No worries. It is a very creative idea you have come up with. I like it. You are such an interesting girl, I would love to meet your parents as well." My eyes lit up while she continued. "I'll have to get Major General Jorgenson to increase the security, but that shouldn't be a problem."

The corners of my mouth lifted when she slowly, but surely, gave her approval for the ball. She'd be putting Snotlout in charge, of course, he would work the security around the hybrids breaching the castle. Everything would fall into place perfectly.

I felt a little bad, though, going behind the queen's back. She was a genuine person with a lovely personality, who quickly earned my respect upon meeting her. I almost wanted to warn her about the attack, but I knew I couldn't. I wouldn't. Though I cared about the queen, there were hundreds of others that were depending on me as well.

"We shall invite the families over a week before Christmas, and they shall leave a week after Christmas, so there's room for visits and other celebrations as well," Valka suggested. "We can have a Christmas Eve ball! How lovely. Stoick will love the idea."

I quickly agreed to this and she sent me off with a smile. I had succeeded in this part. It was just the beginning of the plan. The pieces would soon start to fall into place.

I walked out of the lounge and turned the corner, where Hiccup was waiting. I nodded, and we set off quickly upstairs. He lead me through corridors, up staircases and down hallways, until we came into a small office across from a large conference room.

Hiccup entered and I peered in, wondering if it was really okay for me to be there. It was just Snotlout sitting at a desk with his feet propped up, so I walked in and immediately regretted it, firstly because of the odor.

It smelled of trash, sweat, and dirty clothes. A combination I would not recommend to anyone, ever. I had to cover my nose and mouth because of the disgusting smell. I didn't even try to hide my discomfort to be polite, I didn't care. I don't think he did either, because of the rest of the condition his room was in. It was quite a filthy room.

No, it was a really messy room.

There were papers filled with sketches and outlines strewn around the place, books falling off shelves, a broken lamp, and even a dirty tunic laying crumpled on the floor next to a teensy window. I don't think the maids have ever seen this room before, and I was glad. It would've caused them nightmares.

"So, what's the plan, Hot Stuff?" Jorgenson asked me, unwrapping a mint and popping it into his mouth. He acted so casual when calling me a derogatory name, and it was infuriating.

"I will punch you in the mouth if you call me that again," I warned, no lie tracing my voice. He put his hands up in defense and I felt Hiccup smirk beside me. I shook my head and answered his question. "Families are staying for two weeks, starting the week before Christmas. The ball is on Christmas Eve."

"Good, good," Snotlout said, tossing the wrapper of his mint behind him, where there wasn't any trash can. Looking down, I noticed many small candy and mint wrappers scattered around, and it made me wrinkle my nose even more.

"Is that all?" Hiccup broke the slightly awkward silence.

Snotlout scratched his chin. "For the time being. We only have a couple of weeks to prepare, so it'd be good if you guys came to camp once or twice in between now and when the families come."

We were about to walk out before he leaned forward with a snotty smirk. "You're allowed to come over here any time you'd like though."

I was surprised that the sound of the slap didn't echo throughout the entire castle.

* * *  
When Hiccup and I were walking back through the royal quarters to get to the main hall, the hybrid prince stopped abruptly, emerald eyes flashing.

I cocked an eyebrow at him, wondering what he was stopping for. But he then sucked in a breath and pulled me behind a wall. A few seconds later and I could hear the voices and footsteps heading our way.

I looked at Hiccup with wide eyes, and he had the same expression on his face. We would both be dead if we were caught together. I wasn't allowed in the royal quarters without an escort, and Hiccup wasn't allowed to be seen with any of the Selected. Matters turned worse when I heard the gruff voice of the king.

Right. Enhanced hearing.

The prince took my hand and we bolted. We started down one hall, but the march of a few guards halted our steps and we veered back around.

Hiccup and I ran to a hall that was somewhat familiar, but I had no time to process where it really was. He opened a set of double doors and flung me through, him closely behind, closing the doors quickly and leaning against them, listening for the voices.

When the adrenaline pumping through my veins subsided, I took a look at my surroundings.

We were in a huge room, with the outer wall completely glass and with a balcony that overlooked the golf course and the city in the background. There was a large bed that was unmade and desk across from it with notebooks and papers across it. It was a bit messy for a bedroom, but nowhere near Snotlout's mess. I realized we were in Hiccup's bedroom.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Only place I could think of."

"It's fine."

"Don't mind the mess," he added. "The maids don't clean my room anymore."

"Why not?" That explained it. To be honest, if I didn't have maids, I don't think I would be able to find my bed, even with a ginormous room.

"I asked them not to. Partly because of the plans in my notebooks. I have a bad habit of leaving them out."

I walked over to his desk and scanned his work area. "I can tell," I said, looking at another rough outline of Toothless's treehouse.

Hiccup slowly dragged himself away from the door, concluding that the people passing by were gone. He started to tidy the place up, obviously embarrassed of his mess. But I didn't care. I was quite fascinated with his work.

There were sketches of weapons and buildings, beams and support systems of all kind. There were notes on different kinds of materials and structures, things that really made no sense to me but were nonetheless intriguing. Everything was so detailed and the artistry was fantastic, I couldn't help but flip through his book, looking at the time he spent on this work.

I stopped when I saw something quite different from his usual designs. There were two faces. A pair of human faces. A girl's face, next to a boy's.

She had freckles and a wicked smile with a few teeth missing. She wasn't a child, though, so she had obviously had those teeth knocked out. Her hair was a light color, but was huge, tangly, and stuck out everywhere. Her eyes were narrowed mischievously as the big grin plastered on her face. The drawing showed the figures' torsos, and the girl was dressed in a tattered shirt and vest while she was carrying a spear.

My eyes drifted to the boy. Looking closely, I could see it was Hiccup. Younger, though, maybe fourteen years old. His hair flopped more in a mop than its current tousled state. Puberty had definitely hit him hard, I could see all the baby fat he still had in the sketch. He was cute then, but I'd consider him handsome now.

"Who's this?" I asked without thinking.

Hiccup strode over and snatched the book from me, the tips of his ears turning a slightly pink color. I grinned as his embarrassment showed.

"I-uh..." It was funny to see him not able to respond. He clearly wasn't expecting anyone to see the picture. "Thanks. That's my friend, Cami. She's the Duchess of Swedenway, she sometimes visits with her parents on business. She wanted me to draw us a few years ago."

His awkward demeanor melted away as the day wore on. I decided to stay in his room, delighted as he brought out stacks of board games to keep us occupied for hours. He was usually better at the strategy games, but I was dominating at games that focused mostly on the luck of the draw.

As I hid in his bathroom, he had lunch delivered to his room. A plate of small sandwiches, a fruit bowl, and a bottle of sparkling water was laid out in a little setup as I went back into the main room. We ate happily while joking and chatting. It was a wonderfully relaxed day.

"What would you want to do besides architecture, when you get out of here?" I asked, tossing a strawberry in my mouth.

Hiccup scrunched his brow together. "As much money as I have now, I don't think I'll ever need a job."

"Yeah, but still."

He scratched his chin. "I guess an engineer of sorts. Or a pilot. I like to fly." He closed his eyes and spread his arms out. "When I fly on Toothless, I feel like nothing in the world could ever bring me down. Sometimes, I can actually forget about everything that is happening here."

"Hiccup Haddock, the first professional dragon-rider," I joked, punching his arm.

"Oh yeah, you bet." Hiccup rolled his eyes and leaned back on one hand, a sandwich in the other. "So, Astrid, what's your big dream?"

That one was obvious. "Being able to support my family," I answered. That's all I had wanted for my whole life before.

Hiccup shook his head and waved his hands. "No, no, no, that's kind of already taken care of. It's been, like, ten weeks of you being here. They have a lot more money. You're a Three now." He returned to his leaned back position, looking me in the eye with sincerity. "I'm talking, if there weren't castes or anything, no limits, what would you wanna do?"

I chewed the inside of my cheek. I hadn't thought about that much. I never had time to dream, or to think outside of the box. I always had to be focused on the now of every situation. There was no room for big goals in my life. I was busy, being one of the main sources of income for my family. I was a caretaker, relied upon every day for the survival of the Hoffersons. I had been filled to the brim with responsibility.

But now, I was free.

I hadn't thought about it much before that moment. No doubt that my family had more money than we could have imagined now. If one of those checks was able to support them for several months, imagine ten or eleven of those! Plus, I was had become a Three. I could almost any job I desired. I could become a professional writer, or a real engineer. I was able to support my family even more.

Thinking of this, I allowed myself to dream.

"I've always wanted to fight for Berk. I've always wanted to join the military," I said, earning a blink from my friend. I let the corners of my mouth twitch up as I thought about myself as an officer. "I've always looked at the soldiers with envy. Their courage, their bravery, is so admirable. Them volunteering, their sacrifice, inspires me every day. I'd want to be like them.

"If I were in the military, I'd be a leader. I would lead a group of the best soldiers into battle, and we'd win every one. We'd train all the time, be hard-working and dedicated, but also be close knit. We'd be friends. Best friends. We'd fight the bad guys, come home to the good guys all intact. I wouldn't want any award, because fighting for my people is a reward enough.

"I'd be one of the first female high-ranking officers. I'd have a badass uniform with some gold pins or whatever, and little girls would look up to me." I thought of Ruby, the little girl back at the main hall in town. "Not because I want attention, but I want them to believe that with enough blood, sweat, and tears, they can make it. They will make it."

I finished, a wistful look of hope on my face. That was my dream. I wanted a job that would be hard on me and test my limits every day. That I would enjoy and look forward to.

"I can see it," Hiccup said quietly, eyeing me. "I can see you in the uniform. I like that idea."  
I smiled. I smiled big. I feel like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. The heaviness of taking care of and supporting my household was slowly fading away as the weeks passed. It was the best feeling ever.

Not that I didn't love my family, of course. But knowing that, before the Selection, and without me, they wouldn't have enough money to survive. It was a lot for each family member to take on, and I was glad to free them from it. Especially Gustav, who still had some younger years to live out.

"I used to want to be a musician, ya know," Hiccup commented, breaking my thought train.

After eating, he told me to stay put while he went into his large closet. I stayed on the blankets he had laid out to sit on for lunch, curious to see what he was going to do. He then shuffled out, carrying a case made out of black leather and shaped in weird curves. He unsnapped the gold latches and pulled out an instrument made out of redwood, a long string bow following.

"I didn't know you played any music," I said as he positioned the violin on his shoulder.

"I haven't practiced in a few years," Hiccup admitted, pulling out a sheet of paper with music notes scrawled carelessly over it. "I'm rusty, but I bet I can still play some."

The room was then filled with sweet, drawling notes blended with quick staccatos. I hadn't heard violins played many times before, and it sounded beautiful. There was a very unique and powerful sound to the way he played, and I soaked up every moment I could.

Hiccup's brow scrunched when he ran the bow across the strings, focusing on the music on the desk in front of him. He was very talented, even if he hadn't played in a long time. His lithe body moved with the music, and he swayed to the beat. It was truly a magical scene to witness. Here was a boy, a man, who had everything going against him, his dad, brother, government, everyone, and he still was able to make an odd beauty of every situation he was in. I admired that greatly.

A small smile twitched at the corners of his mouth when the tune increased to a fun jig of sorts. His feet shuffled to the music, but being his clumsy self, naturally he got tangled with his own legs and stumbled forward. He paused, a bit surprised but then shook his head and continued where he left off.

I stood up and twirled around, the skirt of my dress flowing in a circle around me. I wasn't usually one for dancing- I was utterly horrific- but I knew that with Hiccup, I could be whatever I wanted to be. I let myself be embarrassed by the way I stepped to his playing and spun to the melody. I still wasn't used to wearing dresses, so it amused me every time that the skirt poofed and flowed behind me.

We started laughing as Hiccup's tempo increased and I moved faster around him. I was surprised that the exertion caused sweat to bead on my brow and I began to tire, but my feet continued to bounce and my arms continued to flail.

An abrupt halt in the music caused me to stop and look at the prince. I laughed when he stared, horrified, at the violin, in which a string had broken and caused an awful note to be sounded.

"Damn it!" he said, but with a smile still shown on his lips.

I couldn't help but laugh as his frustration grew.

After Hiccup had placed the instrument back in its place, we sat back on the blankets on the floor and watched the ceiling fan above us spin around.

Staring at the ceiling, the more I began to take in how expensive his room was. There were a few paintings here and there, but I could tell that a few of them were done by Hiccup himself. The floors and ceilings were lined with a gold trim, the countertops in the bathroom made out of the finest granite. The dark wooden chests and desks around the room added to the glory of the setting, along with the luxurious plush of the pillows and the mattress which were on his bed.  
Even the platters that the fruit and sandwiches were brought in on were a shiny silver, with small intricate designs carved into the metal. The castle really overdid it on everything.

Hiccup noticed me staring at everything in my surroundings. He watched me as I looked around his room, until he said, "What was your home like?"

I bit my lip, thinking about how I would put it into words.

As a prince, he wouldn't have had a very great look on me if I had called it a "squat shack in the dirt", for what it really was. I tried to describe it best I could, but there weren't many positive experiences that I had with that house. If I could even call it that.

"It was wood. And tiny. A bit unstable, and soggy after each rain," I started, tapping my chin. The memories of my house were wavering, I hadn't been there in so long. "We had no bathroom, only an outhouse by the treeline. Best not to go there after dark. Two teensy bedrooms, smaller than your closet. The rest consisted of homemade wooden countertops, an old stove, a few chairs and a rug I made in school."

Hiccup leaned against the foot of his bed, propping his arm on his knee. "Sounds cozy." I wasn't completely sure, but I think he was being sarcastic. I didn't mind.

I shrugged. "It was all I knew."

"Astrid, can I ask you a question?" Hiccup said, tapping his fingers on his knee. "Do you even like it here? In the castle, I mean?"

I sighed. That was a good question. I didn't know at first, the first weeks in which I arrived. But I think I knew now. It sounded selfish, but I didn't have to always worry in the castle. I had three meals a day, plus snacks, I had a comfortable bed, new friends, and plenty to do, and something to fight for.

"Yes," I said, after thinking for a little bit. "I probably wouldn't be as happy if I didn't have you to talk to, though." I smiled. "You're the only one keeping me sane around here."

Hiccup chuckled and looked out the window. I looked, too, and saw it was already dark. I had spent the entire day in his room.

"I should probably get going," I said, standing.

"I can take you through a shortcut," Hiccup offered, standing alongside me. A flicker of amusement danced in his eyes, and I raised my eyebrow. Hiccup laughed and walked over to the window, pushing it open.

He turned around, his gap-toothed smile ever so contagious. "C'mon, it'll be fun."

Next thing I knew, the cold air was biting me and I was on the roof of the castle, looking several stories below.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, leave a comment!


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